Bo and Carly- Atonement
by NikiiL
Summary: After she is attacked, Carly Manning leaves Salem; cold and unforgiving towards the people who wronged her. Mel and Daniel try reconciling with her when she returns a few years later. But Carly still refuses to forgive, especially a remorseful Bo, or Hope- as she feels one of Hope's 'fans' was behind what happened to her.
1. Chapter 1

Carly Manning washed her face after weeping for several minutes. After the phone call, she had just stared at her cell, initially too numb to react. Then the tears finally came, anger, pain and sadness unleashed yet again.

Now, she was somewhat calm. Bo didn't love her, never loved her; the call had confirmed that once and for all. Now was the time to plan the next stage of her life. She had no reason to stay in Salem.

Bo... back with Hope.

Melanie... didn't care about her. _Maggie's all the mother I need, not you_.

Daniel... refused to listen to her side of the story about the paternity tests.

Jennifer... former best friend. Her loyalty has always been with her cousin.

Her _undeserving_ cousin, Hope Williams Brady.

Carly clenched her hands into fists as she replayed what she saw and heard between her and Bo at the docks. The same place, the same damned spot he said so many wonderful things to her months ago. She will never forgive him for that, _never, ever_.

The tears came back and her hands went down to her stomach. _Hope will never take this from me at least,_ she thought; filled with savage satisfaction. _This is mine and mine alone._ _When he's old enough to understand, I only pray he won't turn on me like Melanie and Nicky._ _Please God... don't let this child reject me too._

Sniffling, Carly cleaned her face again, trying to think calmly.

 _First I have to hand in my resignation to Lexie, swift and painless. Then call Frankie, ask if he'll take me in for a while. I can then take it from there._

Turning on her Apple Mac, Carly's fingers worked over the keys. Her letter was polite, precise and no nonsense; including adding that her resignation was effective immediately. She was just clicking 'send', when she heard a knock on the door. Wondering who could be visiting her, she got up to answer it.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

From the moment he received the call, Frankie Brady did everything he could to clear his desk to make the trip. For most of the time during the flight, his mind was filled with anger, disbelief and worry. Anger at what he was told about Carly, disbelief that his beloved sister did not tell him what she went through and worry about her state of mind. As soon as he talked to her, he was going to tell both families just what he thought of all of them. And beat Bo to a pulp for good measure.

His companions watched him, not speaking; but they knew exactly what he was thinking. His girlfriend Piper, who insisted on making the trip with him to finally meet Carly and help him comfort her. Marcus Hunter, Carly's former colleague and close friend, more than anxious to see her again. Frankie had sent him an email about the call he received and Marcus had flown in from California so they could go to Salem together. He was still appalled at what he'd heard from Frankie and while he was not a violent man, he couldn't say he wouldn't throw in a punch of his own if he ever saw Bo Brady again. There were some lines you simply didn't cross... but Bo had done just that.

He will _personally_ make Bo pay.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The attacker finally left, after hovering over Carly's prostate body for a few minutes. Through blurry vision, Carly saw a pair of worn sneakers walk away. She could taste blood, could feel sharp, agonising pain all over her body. She couldn't move.

 _My baby! Oh God... my baby is dead! No, please no..._ She screamed inwardly. _Not my baby... he's all I have left!_

Her stomach contracted and she let out a moan of acute pain and grief. _I might as well die... nothing left... nothing left..._

She suddenly saw a bright light, causing her to blink. _I'm being taken already. I fear nothing... I'm ready._

 _No you're not,_ the sweet voice whispered. It sounded very familiar.

 _But I am..._ Carly tried to speak out but her jaw hurt too much.

 _No, you aren't darling. This isn't your time, not yet._ Another familiar voice piped up.

Carly blinked painfully, trying to peer at the two faces over her. They were women dressed in white. One was young and beautiful, with long curly hair. The other was a lot older, with a solemn face and blonde hair tied back in a chignon.

 _Could it be...?_

The older woman placed a hand on Carly's throbbing forehead. It felt surprisingly warm. _Darling Katerina. I wasn't much of a mother to you and I hope you've long forgiven me_ for _that._ _I won't let you live the rest of your life heartbroken._ You _deserve more than what life meted out to you._

 _And you'll have it, Carly,_ said the younger woman. _And a whole lot more besides._

 _'_ M...My... my baby...' Carly managed to croak, 'Help me...'

 _Hush... easy now. Lie still._

Carly felt something being placed on her stomach, but was far too weak to struggle. Both women had one hand on her womb, a golden light emitting from them into it. It lasted for exactly two minutes before it faded.

 _They are safe now, Katerina._

 _Safe? Them?_

 _That's right, Carly. Them. And they are going to love you so much... as much as you already love them._

 _Take great care of them, Katerina. I love you very much, my darling._ The woman pressed a kiss on Carly's bruised forehead, while the younger one stroked her cheek.

 _No... no wait... don't leave me!_ Carly cried as they vanished.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'I can't tell you how much I appreciate you calling me and letting me know what was going on.'

'I felt it was time Carly finally had someone in her corner.' Rafe Hernandez replied, as he drove Frankie, Marcus and Piper to Carly's studio apartment on the other side of town. What Carly Manning was going through, no person deserved it. How could Bo, a man he more than respected, do such a thing to her? And to think Rafe had believed Bo would return to Carly after springing Hope out of prison- a stupid move on his part in his personal opinion. He remembered Carly's tears when he assured her about it. And look how wrong he turned out to be.

And as if Bo squiring Hope about town as though nothing happened was bad enough, there was that thing about Daniel's son's paternity test. Rafe didn't know the exact details until he found Carly crying at the docks. Carly hadn't been inclined to talk to him but Rafe, holding Carly in high regard after saving his life, refused to leave her alone until he got the whole story from her, including Daniel and Melanie's reactions.

It burned him up, especially the part about Melanie. That girl seriously had some personality and emotional issues! After driving Carly home, he remembered something Adrienne Kiriakis let slip, that Carly had a younger brother- an adopted Brady- who lived in D.C. The whole scenario disgusted him even more. Carly's brother, her _biological_ brother was actually adopted by the Bradys and they treated his sister like garbage! Just how did they sleep at night? Weren't they even worried about what Frankie would say if he ever found out?

Now that Frankie was in Salem, with the added bonus of her old co-worker Frankie introduced him to, Carly will see she wasn't alone and friendless.

'I just hope you'll be able to convince her to leave Salem with us,' said Marcus.

'I hope so too,' Piper added. 'She can't keep staying here.'

'I'll not only convince her, I'll drag her from here kicking and screaming if I have to.' Frankie looked out of the window, not seeing anything except his sister and what he was itching to scream out at the two families.

'Honey, please promise me you aren't going to hunt Bo down...' Piper began.

'I'm promising _no_ such thing so don't even bother,' Frankie interrupted her, still staring out of the window, trying to quell his rising anger again. Not even Carly will stop him from leaving at least one bruise on Bo's face. Luckily, according to Rafe, Vivian Alamain has left Salem. One less bitch to deal with.

'We're here.' Rafe finally pulled up in front of Carly's building.

The first thing they saw when they stepped out of the elevator was Carly's door wide open. Rafe raised his hand, motioning them to stop, before pulling out his gun from its holster. Gun steady in his hand, he moved closer and peered in.

'Oh my God...'

Frankie, Marcus and Piper rushed inside and met a terrible sight. The place was in shambles. And Carly lay on the floor, bruised and bleeding.

' _Carly!_ ' Frankie shouted in fear, hurrying to his sister's side.

'She's alive,' Marcus said, his voice trembling as he took her pulse. 'But she's obviously hurt bad. We need to get her to a hospital, quick.'

Rafe was already dialling furiously on his cell for an ambulance.

'Who did this?' Piper whispered, appalled. 'Who in the name of heaven _did this?_ '

Frankie shook his head, anger and fear rushing back in. More so when he saw what Piper, Marcus and Rafe were staring at. On the wall opposite where Carly lay, was a word written in large red letters.

 _ **Whore**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Rafe called for an ambulance but Frankie insisted that Carly should not be taken to Salem University hospital. He didn't want Carly surrounded by the same people who rejected her.

 _Damn all of them!_ They won't smoother her with their fake sympathy if he could help it. The paramedics had therefore conveyed Carly to a private hospital.

Fear weighed heavily in their hearts. Before the paramedics arrived, Marcus had noticed something on the floor, beside an upended coffee table. Vitamins and Folic acid. 'Frankie... she's _pregnant_.' he said quietly.

 _Will the baby live?_ Frankie now thought, filled with anguish for his sister. If that child died, he couldn't begin to imagine how she would feel. What with Melanie and Nicky's cruelty; it would kill her to lose the child. _It mustn't happen... my poor sister's suffered enough, please!_

Rafe naturally had to have Carly's apartment sealed off and alert Roman and Bo. There was no way he could avoid that; Carly was a victim of a heinous crime. But he was made to promise no one else was to know what happened. And Frankie had given him a message to pass on to Roman and Bo.

 _But they will surely find out somehow_ , Frankie thought bitterly. _Something really great to gossip about. As long as they just keep away from Carly, they can do what they like. As for Bo, I will make him and that bitch sorry._

The doctor, a tall bosomy woman in her mid fifties and dressed in scrubs finally came out and they rose to hear the news.

'Family of Katerina Von Leuschner?' At their nod, she continued, 'I'm Dr. Gage. Whoever attacked her broke her arm and some ribs. We did some surgery on her left eye but we're sure she'll be able to see with it. And we managed to stop some internal bleeding.'

'And the baby?' Frankie asked anxiously. He gave the information the moment she was brought in, as he remembered X rays were harmful to unborn babies.

The doctor shook her head in wonder. 'In all my years as a doctor, I've never seen such a thing...'

' _What?_ ' Frankie cried, fearing the worst, his hand gripping Piper's tightly.

'The foetus is still alive. I mean...ordinarily it wouldn't survive a brutal attack on its mother. But this one actually did. It's a miracle.'

'It sure is,' Marcus said faintly as Frankie and Piper embraced. 'I can't believe it either but this is wonderful news.'

'Thank God,' Frankie said, tears streaming down his cheeks. 'Can we see her now?'

'It may be a while before she regains consciousness. And we're keeping both her and the baby closely monitored but yes, you can see her in a little while. Excuse me.'

'Of course... and thank you very much.'

'What now?' asked Marcus.

'We can't do anything until she's strong enough to travel.' Frankie shrugged, his arm round Piper's shoulders.

'From what Rafe told us, it seems the whole town has it in for Carly. _Anyone_ could be the attacker.' Piper said.

'Like _Hope_.' Frankie said, his eyes flashing with anger. 'If not Hope, someone close to her, who would do anything for her like getting her rival out of the way for good.'

'This something Victor Kiriakis would do, put a contract on her.' Marcus replied, a scowl on his face. 'Wouldn't be the first time he would get one of his goons to do some dirty work for him, that ruthless son of a bitch.'

'If this guy's behind all this, then Carly's still in danger.' Piper said worriedly. 'But surely, Bo wouldn't let Victor Kiriakis walk, even if he's his father.'

'Sweetheart, you don't know Kiriakis. He can get himself out of anything; he's that devious.'

'What about Vivian Alamain?' Marcus suggested.

Frankie shook his head. 'Rafe told me she left town, not long after Carly broke up with Bo. And if she wanted my sister dead, she would do the work herself.'

A nurse came in to tell them they could now see Carly.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bo opened the door at the sound of the bell. 'Rom. What's up?' he asked, noticing the very grim scowl on his brother's face as he entered.

'Something's happened to Carly, Bo. Something really bad.'

'What happened?' Bo demanded, a cold chill coming over him. _The phone call_. Surely, surely Carly didn't do something terrible to herself. She wouldn't...

'She was found beaten almost to a pulp in her apartment. Rafe called me, I just came from there. Whoever did this wrote this on the wall, in _her_ blood.' He handed Bo a photograph, watching his face go pale. 'My God...'

'What's going on?' Hope asked, coming down the stairs.

'Where is she?' Bo demanded, ignoring his wife.

'I don't know yet...'

'What do you mean _you don't know yet?_ ' Bo snarled, abject fear for Carly causing his temper to boil up. 'Isn't she at the hospital?'

'She's not at Salem University; and Rafe's not talking.'

For a long while now Bo had the feeling Rafe Hernandez has been silently sitting in judgment of him over his breakup with Carly. He simply didn't understand the situation, hence Bo's silence about the matter. It was none of Rafe's business anyway. 'And since when does Rafe think he has the authority to keep a victim's whereabouts to himself?'

'Who's got hurt? Was it Carly?' asked Hope, turning to Roman.

'Yes.'

'I'm going to tell Hernandez a few things...'

' _Listen to me_ , will you? Rafe's not talking because Frankie made him swear not to tell anybody where she is.'

'Including _us_?' Bo asked incredulously, taken aback.

'That's right. Frankie's in Salem. And the fact that he made Rafe do that should give you an idea how he feels about you right now. He doesn't want us working the case, he just want us to stay away from his sister.'

Hope turned from her brother in law to her husband, more confused than ever.

But Bo still didn't heed her. Frankie was in town to comfort his sister. He could imagine his justifiable fury. He would feel the same way if either of his sisters went through what Carly did. He felt sick at the idea of Carly attacked by an intruder. It happened because she was no longer under his protection, no longer with him. As he thought of their last conversation, he felt even sicker. _I didn't mean a word of it,_ he cried inwardly. _But at the time, I thought it was the right decision! What have I done?_

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Carly's face was almost unrecognisable, covered with livid bruises, lips swollen, one eye bandaged and her neck in a brace. Her broken arm was in plaster and an oxygen tube under her nose. She was still unconscious. Frankie and Piper stroked her hair while Marcus kissed her hand, holding it between his, his eyes red from crying. Dr. Gage and her colleagues were still astonished at how the baby was still alive, calling it both a miracle and a medical marvel. They had no way of explaining how it was possible.

'Don't worry, Katrina.' Frankie said in her ear. 'I'm here now. No one's ever going to hurt you again.'

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'What... what happened here?'

Rafe turned to see Adrienne Kiriakis standing at the door, looking shocked. The crime scene technicians, rounding off their work, turned to look at her. 'You can't come in here, Ma'am.' One of them said. Rafe hurried over to her.

'What are you doing here?'

'Carly and I were supposed to have lunch today. I called her but there was no answer so I came to see... oh my God, Rafe _what happened_?' Adrienne gasped at the word still on the wall. 'What the hell?'

Rafe walked her down the hallway and told her what happened. Adrienne paled, covering her mouth as she listened.

'My God! Is she alright?'

'Frankie just called to tell me she's out of the OR. But she's still unconscious and they want to keep her and the baby under strict observation.'

Adrienne grabbed his arm in a vice grip. 'The baby's still _alive_?'

'Wait, you _knew_ she's pregnant?'

'I was the one who made her go for the test in the first place, I was really worried about her. Of course she made me promise not to tell anybody.'

'How far along is she?'

'Three months.'

'Jesus Christ...' Rafe shook his head.

'I'm going to the hospital.'

'No wait, she's not at Salem University.'

'Where is she then?' Adrienne demanded.

'I'm sorry I can't tell you. Frankie said...'

'Carly's my friend!' Adrienne interrupted, outraged.

Rafe said nothing.

'She will tell you herself, that I've stood by her all this time and I'm not like everyone else. Please... take me to her, _please_.'

Rafe thawed. 'Fine, I'll take you to where she is. But nobody else must know about this. _No one_.'

'Even Melanie?'

' _Especially_ Melanie!' Rafe snapped angrily.


	3. Chapter 3

Like Melanie, Daniel had begun divorce proceedings, heartbroken but eager to move on from Chloe, still unable to believe she would do such a thing to him. As for Carly, the only reason for his anger towards her was she kept Chloe's secret and helped her with the paternity tests. But then again, Carly was good at keeping things to herself. He didn't want to talk to her for a while.

While he was at the nurses' station reading a chart, Lexie came up to him, a frown on her face. 'Seen Carly today?'

'Can't say that I have. Why?'

'Because I just read an email from her. She's resigned and according to her, effective immediately. Did she tell you she was going to do this?'

Daniel shook his head. 'No, not at all.'

'But she was cleared. On probation yes, but she still has a job here.'

Daniel shrugged, not disturbed by the news 'She probably felt it was better she worked somewhere else.'

'Daniel, I know you're still angry with her but technically she didn't do anything illegal. If it's your attitude or Melanie's that caused her to do this, then we have a problem.'

'I would've thought you of all people wanted to see the back of her.' Daniel said coldly.

'And I think you're simply looking for a scapegoat. It wasn't Carly who switched the tests. And if you pay more attention to Chloe's story, Carly didn't know the other guy was Phillip. Can you honestly imagine her keeping _that_ a secret?'

Stony silence.

'I've tried her cell but it's switched off. I'm not accepting her resignation so I want you to find her and talk her out of it. _Immediately_.'

 _If Carly truly was my friend, she would've told me Chloe cheated in the first place,_ thought Daniel darkly after Lexie left him. _How does Lexie expect me to just forget that?_

Reluctantly he pulled out his cell from his pocket and dialled Carly's number. It was still switched off. He will try again later.

'Hey,' Melanie appeared at his elbow. 'I saw Lexie talking to you just now, she seems mad.'

'She sort of is.' Daniel said drily, putting the phone back into his pocket. 'Carly's resigned and Lexie wants me to talk her out of it.'

Since the scene at Maggie's, Melanie had avoided Carly; not returning her calls and deleting texts from her without reading them. For a moment she was taken aback by what she heard but her heart hardened again. 'She's joking right? If Carly wants to resign _, let her_. We're better off not having her here. She's done nothing but disrupt our lives.'

'You're probably right about that.' Daniel said quietly. 'But on the other hand, Carly's a valued doctor here. What do you think the board will say if I can't convince her to take back her resignation?'

Melanie scowled. 'This sucks, it just sucks.'

'I know. But it's got to be done. What can I say kiddo, office politics. See you later.'

Melanie shook her head, fuming. At the moment, she was mad as hell. Mad at Phillip and Chloe, for betraying her and Daniel. Mad at Caroline Brady for tampering with Parker's paternity tests. But the person she was angriest with was Carly. No wonder she'd kept Chloe's infidelity to herself! What mother would know her daughter's husband cheated on her and not say anything? But then again, since she came to Salem, Carly had done nothing but lie to her. She wanted nothing more to do with Carly Manning, ever. And in spite of Phillip's pleas, wanted out of her marriage as soon as possible. Lies and betrayal brought out the worst in Melanie and those closest to her knew it was best to let her cool off. Hence the reason she didn't attend Carly's disciplinary hearing. Carly deserved no support from her.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'When will we be able to get Carly's things?'

'You can come over with me later; the crew's already done there anyway.' Rafe replied.

'Thanks.' Piper peered through the window on the door. Adrienne was sitting beside Carly's bed, one hand on Carly's arm, Frankie and Marcus nearby. 'What's happened so far?'

'Roman didn't take what I had to tell him well, he almost took my head off. Bo probably knows by now.'

'What about her daughter?'

' _What_ daughter?' Rafe spat. 'A daughter who treated her own mother like she was lower than dirt. Just as well Frankie's planning on taking Carly away; maybe that hellion will see what she lost. That baby better make it, Piper. At least Carly will get something great out of this whole mess.'

Piper nodded thoughtfully. 'What about you? I imagine Bo and his brother are really ticked off with you right now.'

'I don't care what they think about me right now, Bo and Hope especially. To be honest, I've decided to resign from the department. I can't be around them, especially after what just happened.'

'You sound so sure about this.'

'I am. Carly's a good person. Not only did she save my life, she was there for me when my sister died in a hit and run.'

'Oh, I'm _so_ sorry.'

'Thanks,' Rafe felt a stab of sadness as he thought of Arianna. ' Sami- my wife- told me about Carly and Bo and Carly told me what she went through with that husband of hers, after I asked her why Vivian Alamain kept targeting her. And I was glad she and Bo found each other again, after all those years. And Bo seemed so different with her, really happy and so protective of her. And then Hope gets into a mess and suddenly, Carly no longer mattered. You should see the way Bo and Hope have been all over each other, like what went on with Carly never happened and everyone's been patting them on the back. It's sickening.'

Piper nodded again. 'From what you've just said, it was more than Bo and Hope reconnecting while on the run. I think Bo Brady was leading Carly on the whole time.'

'Exactly. I can't respect a guy who would do a thing like that to a woman like Carly. I just can't.'

 _Bo Brady's got a lot to answer for_ , thought Piper. _I hope Frankie breaks his jaw._

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'You never told me Carly and Frankie are related.' Hope said accusingly.

Bo raised his eyes to look up at Hope. 'Really, you going to do this right now?'

'Okay, you're right, I'm sorry.' Feeling rather ashamed, she moved to sit next to Bo, watching him anxiously. Since Roman left, Bo had sat with his face buried in his hands, not moving nor speaking to her.

'Frankie's just upset about what happened to Carly, she's his sister after all. And obviously... he's mad at us both. Listen to me Bo. Whatever guilt you're feeling right now, I'm shouldering it with you. Okay? We're in this together. We just have to find a way of sitting Frankie down, explain things and convince him to let us investigate and find out who did this to Carly. It's going to be hard but doable.'

Bo said nothing, thinking about the last conversation he had with Carly, a conversation haunting him. The image of her lying at some hospital, hating him... haunting him more. Frankie had every right to be mad at him. His beloved sister, his flesh and blood treated so heartlessly.

'Bo, please say something.' Hope pleaded.

Without a word, Bo picked up his cell from the coffee table and dialled Rafe's number. Rafe answered after four rings. 'Rafe, I'm only going to ask you once. Where's Carly?'

'My hands are tied.' was the cold reply.

'This is a barefaced conflict of interest, Hernandez. Not to mention insubordination.' Bo said, pacing the living room.

'Frankie made himself clear; he doesn't want you anywhere near her. And as for my insubordination, you might as well fire me. That will save me from handing in my letter of resignation.'

Bo stopped at his tracks. 'What?'

'You heard me.'

'Come on Rafe, it doesn't have to be like that.'

'It's not open for discussion.'

Bo exhaled sharply, making a note to deal with this new problem later. 'Hand the phone to Frankie. _Now_.'

A pause then Frankie's cold voice came on the line. 'What?'

'Frankie, please listen. We need to meet and talk about this. Remember you're my brother too.'

'Go to hell, your wife included,' followed by the sound of the call being ended.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hours later when he was free, Daniel tried Carly's cell again. It was still switched off and Daniel began feeling rather worried. _Where the hell is she?_

He went to Jennifer's office, knocking on her door.

'What's up?' Jennifer asked.

Daniel explained the situation. ' _Resigned?_ No, she didn't tell me.'

'Well I've been trying her cell but she turned it off. Do you have another one of her numbers?'

'Uh... there's her landline.' Jennifer picked up the phone and dialled. Daniel moved to stand beside her. The phone rang and rang until finally somebody picked it up. 'Who is this?'

Jennifer's eyes widened at the sound of the familiar voice. 'Frankie? Is that you?'

'Jennifer.' Frankie's voice sounded hard.

'I had no idea you're even in town! How've you been? Is Carly there, she turned off her cell.'

'No, she's not here.'

'Not there? Where is she then?'

'That's none of your concern.'

' _Frankie!_ ' Jennifer gasped, shocked. 'What are you talking about...?'

Frankie hung up, turning to Piper and Rafe, who had folded and packed Carly's clothes and other personal items into two suitcases. 'Anything else left?'

'Just her laptop and these. They look like journals.' Rafe handed them to him.

'Jennifer's probably on her way down here so we need to leave now.'

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

' _Why_ would he say that to you?' Daniel demanded. He knew Carly's only other living relative besides her children was her younger brother. Jennifer had told him ages ago they almost got married.

'I don't know, I just don't know!' Jennifer replied, baffled and stunned by Frankie's attitude and what he said to her. 'Something must have happened to Carly. I'm sure of it.'

'If you're right, why wouldn't he tell you?'

'Let's go over there. _Right now_.' Jennifer got up from her chair, grabbing her purse.

'Hand on, I need to change and tell Melanie.'

'Never mind Melanie!' Jennifer was now panicky. 'Let's get over there now!'

Before Daniel could answer, his cell rang. 'It's Bo.'

Jennifer felt her heart lurch in fear as Daniel answered it. A horrified expression came over his face as he listened. ' _When?_ Why the hell wasn't she brought here?'

Jennifer gripped his arm, waiting. Finally, Daniel hung up. He now looked pale and shaken.

'Damn it, Daniel... _what's_ happened to Carly? Where _is_ she?' Jennifer cried.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next morning, Carly was still unconscious. But according to the foetal monitor, the baby's heart was thankfully still beating. Dr Gage noticed something she didn't before. 'I'm getting _two_ separate heartbeats.'

'Really?' Frankie exclaimed.

'Looks like Katerina will have to shop for two when she gets better, she has twins in there. I'll say this again, it's really remarkable her pregnancy remained viable after an attack like this.' Seeing Frankie's worried expression as he stared down at his sister's bruised, swollen face, Dr. Gage added, 'She's strong. She may wake up any time soon, don't worry.'

Frankie paced the room after she left, cracking his knuckles. He had stayed up half the night, reading Carly's journals. He felt very guilty invading his sister's privacy but determined to know if there were other things Rafe hadn't told him. He went through them, skipping the more intimate entries and paid closer attention to the most recent ones. His blood boiled as he read how Kayla reported Carly to the board with the intent of getting her fired and her medical license seized. He felt Carly's pain at how Bo was obviously psyched at being back with Hope, after making a show of not wanting things between them to end. He read about the confrontation between her and Caroline after the disastrous christening. Her daughter Melanie shunning her, her cruel words. Daniel Jonas blaming her. Nicky hanging up on her when she called him.

But what really make Frankie furious was about her seeing Bo and Hope kissing at the docks, listening to Bo telling his wife what went on with Carly had been a mistake. And finding out she was pregnant but wondering how to tell Bo.

' _Son of a bitch!_ ' he had shouted.

Piper had listened in silence as he bitterly narrated what he'd found out, rubbing his shoulders consolingly. He had handed Marcus the journal in question, insisting he read it. Marcus was presently rounding off. As Frankie looked at him, Marcus closed the journal, his face unreadable but his clenched fists were enough to tell him what he was feeling.

'I know it's hard for you, the same people you've always regarded as your family would treat Carly like this. And Bo... I never thought he was capable of this.' Marcus said, he and Frankie talking in low tones in the hallway, while Piper and Adrienne stayed with Carly. 'What do you want to do now?'

'Settle accounts.' Frankie said grimly.

Marcus stared at him, his handsome features set in hard lines. 'Let me confront him instead.'

But Frankie shook his head. 'She's my sister, it's my right. I understand, but don't worry, I got this' He pulled out his phone and dialled the number Rafe gave him.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'What are we going to tell Melanie?' asked Jennifer.

'We can't tell her _anything_ when we don't even know where Carly is,' Daniel reminded her. He had called several hospitals but Carly wasn't registered in any of them. He was still trying to accept what he'd heard from Bo. Carly found severely beaten up in her apartment, the word written on the wall in her blood. An attempted homicide, not a random robbery. 'Did you try getting hold of Adrienne, maybe she knows something.'

'She obviously knows something,' Jennifer said, her voice now hard. 'I tried but she wouldn't take my calls. I went by the station but Rafe wasn't there.'

'Bo said Frankie was there when Rafe found Carly. It's not Rafe we need to talk to, it's Frankie. He obviously told Rafe not tell anybody where she is, not even Bo.'

Jennifer shook her head, bewildered. 'But that doesn't explain why Frankie would hide her from _me_. Carly's my best friend.'

'He probably doesn't believe that anymore, Jen. Not if he's been hearing things.'

'Oh... I get it. It's because I'm _Hope's cousin_ , right? Are you implying Frankie's holding _that_ against me?' Jennifer snapped angrily.

'What other reason is there for his attitude?'

'That's ridiculous!'

'Ridiculous or true?' Daniel snapped back, his own meanness towards Carly hitting him in the gut. 'Think about it! You sided with Hope over her. And if Carly's really your best friend, _you_ would've called Frankie ages ago to be with her, not Rafe who obviously did!'

Jennifer now looked chastened. 'Well, it's true I had a problem with her being with Bo, but Carly herself made the decision to let him go.'

Daniel sighed, unable to believe Jennifer couldn't read between the lines. 'Bo left her _no choice_. And he humiliated her, going about with Hope hand in hand real fast after they split up. Maybe not deliberately, but he did. Your families never accepted Carly and Bo from the start, including you. Kayla set out to get her fired. You think Frankie's in town for a grand Brady-Horton reunion?'

Jennifer's eyes suddenly filled with tears, her heart sinking. Daniel was right. Frankie was an adopted Brady but Carly was his flesh and blood, his _biological_ sister. He won't listen to any excuses.

Daniel sighed again. 'I got to find Mel, break it to her gently. And then we'll track Frankie down, make him see sense.'

Jennifer nodded, too upset to say anything.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bo conducted his own investigation, calling up several hospitals in the area but none of them had Carly registered. There was a private hospital however, known to be close lipped about their patients registered there. Bo stared at the address. It was on the other side of town where, according to Jennifer, Carly leased a studio apartment. He could use his authority as Commissioner of Police to get information but he was reluctant to give the hospital's administration the idea Carly was a suspect in a crime. Instead, he picked up his call and called dispatch, instructing one of the dispatchers to find out calls for an ambulance in that area within the last 24 hours. Within minutes, he got a confirmation. Carly was obviously taken there.

Bo rubbed his eyes as a great wave of sadness and remorse hit him yet again since he heard the news of Carly's attack from Roman. What was he supposed to say to Carly... how will he be able to face her? Their last encounter at the hospital was bad enough, the expression of sheer pain on her face, the bitterness in her voice.

 _I know that I was only there until you decided Hope needed you more, or you needed her more, whatever the hell it was._

It had riddled him with even more guilt. And then there was that phone call.

 _Hope had just stepped into the bathroom when his cell rang. He knew it was Carly because he hadn't yet deleted her number. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to do it just yet. Yet he was surprised she was calling him, after refusing to return his calls since their breakup and what she said to him at the hospital. He let it ring four times before answering. Their last encounter had brought even more guilt and for a long time, he was unable to focus on anything, regretting he went over to see her in the first place. What did she want now?_

 _Taking a deep breath, he clicked the green button. 'Hi.'_

' _Are you alone?' was Carly's quiet reply._

' _Hope's in the shower. What's up?'_

 _Silence. Then Carly's voice came again as though struggling to ignore the first sentence. 'I need to see you about something important.'_

' _What is it?'_

' _It's not something I can talk about over the phone. We have to meet.'_

His cell suddenly rang and he immediately clicked on the green button. 'Brady.'

'You're right Bo. We _should_ meet and talk this out. After all, you're ready to explain yourself, aren't you? I'll be waiting at the docks and don't you dare bring that wife of yours with you.' Frankie said coldly before hanging up.

 _The inevitable confrontation_.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Daniel and Jennifer decided to break the news to Melanie with Maggie present. Jennifer made the call, explained what happened over the phone and told her to come over to the hospital. Maggie arrived, upset at what she heard. 'Have you found out where Carly is?'

'Not yet.' Daniel replied.

'This is terrible. I can't imagine what Mel's going to say.' Maggie thought back at the confrontation between Carly and Melanie she'd painfully witnessed. As far as she knew, Melanie didn't speak to Carly after that, which distressed her. No matter how angry she probably still was, she refused to believe Melanie would shun her mother at her moment of need. Melanie was an aggressive girl and sometimes came off as bratty but Maggie Horton knew her better than anyone else. Her sad childhood was what caused the young girl put up a defensive wall and lash out to hide her vulnerability and loving heart she only exposed to those closest to her.

Melanie was paged and she met them at Daniel's office, surprised at the summons and more surprised to see Maggie with Daniel and Jennifer. 'Has something happened?' she asked.

'Sit down, honey.' Maggie said, leading her to a chair.

'What's going on?' Melanie demanded, staring at their worried faces.

'Sweetie,' Daniel took her hand, holding it between his. 'Something's happened to Carly. She was... she was attacked in her apartment yesterday.'

'What you mean attacked?' Melanie said, her voice trembling.

'She was found savagely beaten, Mel.' Jennifer said quietly.

'Oh my God...' Melanie cried out, bursting into tears. 'No... no...'

Maggie immediately wrapped the girl in her arms.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bo found his brother at the docks, staring at the water. Hope had begged to come along, feeling it was best they both talked to Frankie and calm him down. But Bo had refused. He would rather shoulder all the blame than allow Frankie take shots at his wife. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward. 'Frankie.'

Frankie turned, straightening up. His anger was all over his face. 'Bo.'

Bo lowered his eyes. 'How is she?'

'Broken ribs, a broken arm, internal bleeding, her beautiful face almost smashed up. The doctors just managed to save her left eye. How the _hell_ do you think she's doing?' Frankie said, his voice trembling with the rage he felt. 'Do you even care at all?'

' _Of course_ I care, damn it!' Bo snapped back. 'Accuse me of anything else, but don't accuse me of not caring about Carly's welfare! You're mad at me, I get it. But you're being unreasonable about all this, not letting us investigate and find out who did this to her.'

'Sure... Team Bo and Hope Brady suddenly playing the valiant cops to the rescue.' Frankie sneered. 'How touching. You honestly think that will make up for what you both did to my sister. What _you_ allowed happen to her?'

Bo shook his head, trying not to visualise his princess bruised and wounded in a hospital bed, his overwhelming guilt overflowing. 'For what it's worth, I already blame myself. I'm sorry.'

'Fuck you Bo, don't you _dare_ apologise to _me_. Don't you _dare_.' Frankie shouted. 'You knew how much she loved you. You knew what your family and half the town thought of her. But you just tossed her aside and left her all alone. You exposed Carly to anyone who wanted to hurt her. If you wanted Hope back so bad, why the hell didn't you keep your filthy hands off my sister in the first place?'

Bo bowed his head briefly then raised it, looking Frankie in the eye. 'You have every reason to be angry. Again... I'm sorry, I'm really sorry about everything. You obviously heard the whole story. But please don't blame Hope for any of this.'

Frankie glared at him in disbelief.

'It's _not_ her fault, if you want to blame anyone, blame _me_.' Bo insisted, determined to get through with him. 'It's my fault. Believe me, I wish things were different. I never meant to hurt Carly, but things... things got really complicated. You've got to understand, I know exactly want I felt for her but there was Hope, the long history...'

A savage punch across his face interrupted him.

'How dare you...' Frankie steamed, punching Bo again before he could draw breath. ' _How dare_ you justify yourself! _How dare_ you ruin my sister's life and _expect_ me to understand!''

His furious words were punctuated by more savage blows.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Once Melanie managed to calm down, she immediately demanded to know where she was, furious when told they were yet to find out. Jennifer couldn't bring herself to tell Melanie about her conversation with Frankie. Instead, she reassured the girl they were working on it.

'Just find her Dad, please!' Melanie wept, all anger and resentment gone in a flash, replaced by abject fear for her mother.

'We will, don't worry. You need to be strong, okay? Carly will want that.' Daniel said, holding her tear stained face, while Maggie sat protectively next to her.

Melanie nodded, hoping he'll be able to find her soon. Her cruel words to her mother kept coming back to her and she had to force herself not to break down again as she remembered that terrible scene. She would give and do anything to take them all back.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

'Do have any idea what you've caused?' Hope raged at Rafe.

'Hey, don't you talk to him like that.' Sami objected hotly, glaring at her.

'No honey, it's okay.' Rafe pushed his wife aside. 'How's calling Frankie over to be there for his sister a bad thing?'

' _Please_...we both know that's not the only thing you did. You could've gone about it a bit more discreetly instead of deliberately setting Frankie against us.'

Sami's mouth hung open in disbelief at Hope's statement. Wrapped up in her own problems, she had taken a neutral stance in her uncle's drama between Hope and Carly. She understood why Rafe did what he did, though rather worried about how her family would treat him from now on. While Sami has done her own share of selfish acts in the past, she was shocked by what Hope just said. _Was she kidding?_

'As opposed to you setting everybody against Carly all this time, huh?' Rafe replied, his eyes glinting with anger.

'I did _no_ such thing.'

'It must really stink suddenly facing the consequences of what you started to begin with, doesn't it? Well, guess what Hope, _I'm_ not like the rest of the family... I'm not prepared to protect you. Carly didn't deserve what you all did to her and I wasn't about to stand by and watch her falling further apart and do nothing.'

'Is Rafe calling Frankie over here even the big issue?' Sami asked. 'What about Carly... don't you care she's lying in the hospital right now?'

' Of course I care!' Hope protested.

Their silence said it all.

'Carly and I had issues over Bo but I would _never_ wish a thing like this on her. I really want to help find out who did this to her and why.'

Silence then Sami, arms crossed, said slowly, 'Whoever did this, that's something we're yet to find out. But the _why_... Hope, isn't it obvious? This thing with you, Carly and Uncle Bo- you had everybody in _your_ corner. Whoever did this is a psycho but a psycho who thought he was doing _you_ a favour. And that's because what most people in town think of Carly. You're the cheated wife but she's the whore. You sort of wore the title like a cloak and let Carly take the blame for your marriage crashing.'

'You know what Sami, you're not allowed to judge me or imply what happened to Carly is my fault.' Hope said hotly, stung. 'Because it's not. And she should've stayed away from my husband in the first place.'

Disgusted, Sami fired back, 'Well maybe _you_ should've _stayed_ with your husband! You should've made up your mind what you really wanted, instead of letting Uncle Bo cause that woman so much pain!'

Hope opened her mouth to retaliate but Rafe sternly told her to leave. Not knowing where else to go, Hope drove to Caroline's house.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Lexie was shocked when Daniel gave her the news about Carly, furious he and Jennifer failed to tell her sooner. Melanie couldn't stop fretting over Carly and Maggie and Brady-who Maggie called over- did all they could to console her.

'Don't beat yourself up over it,' Brady insisted, his arm round her shoulders. 'Carly's probably forgotten all about that by now.'

'I need to tell her I'm sorry, Brady.'

'You'll get the chance to, once we find out where she is. Come on now.'

Watching Melanie's sad expression on her tearstained face, Lexie was more disgusted than sympathetic. Being a mother herself, she had given Carly the benefit of the doubt when Carly insisted she was forced by Lawrence to give Melanie up. Aware of the young woman's disposition, Lexie knew Carly had a lot to do to earn her daughter's trust, love and respect and she seemed to make headway with her for the past year.

That is until Parker's christening, when Melanie joined others in blaming Carly and didn't even stick up for her during her disciplinary hearing. Lexie couldn't believe Melanie would leave her own mother out to dry like that and now the girl was sniffling over her, making it all about herself. Lexie wanted to give her a much deserved rebuking but she knew Maggie, Brady and Daniel would simply jump to the brat's defence. That was exactly what she was, a _spoiled brat_. If Carly was willing to forgive her behaviour, then she simply had a big heart. For the first time Lexie Carver unexpectedly felt empathy towards Carly, sad over the pain she'd been carrying for months but no one except Adrienne bothered to talk to her about. _I wasn't there for her either_ , she thought. _I just let her be and said nothing, glad that Hope and Bo were back together. Her resignation now makes sense._ _If I knew where she is right now, I would try reasoning with her._

Lexie went to her office to make her own investigation.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'Sami doesn't know what she's talking about, Hope.'

'She implied I'm responsible. So did Rafe.'

'It's no more your fault than anyone else here. I'm really sorry she got hurt but even Frankie can't hold you or Bo responsible for that.' Caroline insisted, trying to placate her daughter-in-law. 'Try and calm down.'

'I _can't_ calm down. Bo went to meet with Frankie and he's not back yet.'

'Bo can take care of himself and Frankie's not about to kill his own brother, no matter how mad he is with him.' Kayla said.

' Stop trying to make me feel better. Do you honestly believe Frankie thinks of Bo as his brother right now?' Hope demanded. 'Or us as his family after whatever he heard from Rafe? I don't think so.'

Caroline and Kayla exchanged looks, suddenly feeling guilty and awkward as they weighed Hope's words.

The doorbell rang but it was only Roman. 'I wasn't able to find him, Mum.' He said. After hearing what Rafe had done, Caroline had urged Roman to locate Frankie, feeling she could do some damage control before Carly regained consciousness.

Caroline sighed. 'I thought I might try and talk to him and maybe offer him an explanation.'

Roman shook his head at his mother's naivety. 'Explain _what_ to Frankie? Mum, I don't think you really understand just how mad Frankie is right now.'

'We're a family.' Caroline said firmly. 'We've gotten through worse things than this. I can imagine Frankie being angry but I can reason with him. It's too bad about Carly but all the same, Frankie will just have to understand the situation. By the way, how is she?'

'I don't know, we don't even know where she was taken to. But Rafe says she was hurt pretty bad. There's also something else, Mum.' Roman added hesitantly, glancing at Hope.

'What?'

'Rafe told me Folic Acid and Vitamins were found in Carly's apartment, prescribed to _her_.'

Caroline sprang to her feet. 'You mean...' she gasped. Hope went pale in the face and turned away. Kayla stared down at her hands.

'She's pregnant, or was. I don't think the baby made it, Mum.' Roman's voice was now hard.

'Oh my God...' Caroline whispered, pressing a hand on her trembling mouth.

'I didn't mean for this to happen.' Hope said in a low voice. 'I never meant for it to go this far, you have to believe me, Roman.'

'I don't know just what to believe right now.' Roman replied, his face now a mask of fury. 'Bo's not the only one who's got a lot to answer for.'

'But how was I to know he would hook up with an old girlfriend so soon? A woman he never told me about?'

'You had a problem with Carly before anything even happened.' Roman snapped. 'But instead of doing something about it, you stayed away, blaming her! How can you say you love my brother and hurt him the way you did. No wonder he turned to Carly, even though I tried talking him out of it! And that's because I remember how much he loved her years ago, I didn't want him getting stuck between you two! This whole thing is on you, Hope and you know it!'

'It's not like I egged somebody on to beat her up either!' Hope shouted, feeling Roman was being unfair.

Roman shook his head, suddenly realising how much they've all being blind to Hope's flaws. Supported by the family and more than half the town during the triangle between the two women and Bo, it would be a miracle if Frankie decided to forgive and forget. It was bad enough Bo left Carly the way he did, but leaving her pregnant too, much worse. Did he even know about the baby?

The door bell rang again and he went to answer it. Caroline buried her head in her hands, miserable and upset. She raised her head and got up when Roman returned, with Frankie. The angry scowl on her adopted son's face said it all. He shrank back when she tried to hug him.

Hope stared down at Frankie's bruised knuckles. 'Oh my God, what did you do to Bo?'

'I taught your husband a lesson he won't forget in a hurry. And do me a favour Hope, you and Kayla just don't talk to me because I just might forget I'm a gentleman and tag you both with names that more than describes you.'

Hope and Kayla flinched at the utter hatred in Frankie's voice.

'Words don't even begin to describe what I think of the three of you right now. You Kayla, trying to sabotage my sister. Hope, congratulations, you won Bo back in more ways than one didn't you, after turning everyone against my sister because you were too proud to accept responsibility for wrecking your marriage to begin with.'

'Frankie.' Caroline implored.

'I _don't_ want to hear what you have to say. I don't want to even be here longer than I have to.' Frankie said, concentrating on Caroline, his eyes glinting with anger. 'There's nothing you _can_ say that will make me understand why my sister was treated the way she was. Especially you, who I've called my mother for so many years. That you, of all people, would treat Carly- my flesh and blood- the way you did, is unforgivable.'

'Rafe fed you with distorted facts, son.' Caroline said weakly, knowing even as the words came from her mouth, she was making things much worse.

'Rafe Hernandez was the only one who cared enough about Carly, he did nothing but tell me exactly what happened. By the way, you're so quick to judge Carly for being with Bo, how was your adultery with Kiriakis any different?'

Stung, Caroline sank back on her chair.

Roman jumped to the fray. 'Hey now, Frankie, that's enough. I understand how you feel but I'm not about to let you talk to Mum that way.' He warned.

' Don't go pulling the "big brother" act on me, Roman. I know exactly what I'm talking about and I don't owe _her_ anything! She switched that stupid pregnancy test but Carly was the one who got the blame and almost got fired!'

'Frankie, I thought I was doing the right thing at the time. I'm sorry,' Kayla began awkwardly.

'I thought I _told you_ not to speak to me,' Frankie interrupted, his voice deep with contempt. 'I don't accept your apology, because you're a snake and a hypocrite. I have a good mind to have Carly sue you for defamation of character.'

Kayla reddened, biting her lower lip in humiliation.

'Frankie, come on please.' Roman urged, playing the peacemaker. 'We're not heartless like you're making us out to be. This whole thing has been awful enough, without you turning it into some vendetta. At least tell us where Carly is so we can offer some support.'

'A little too late for all that, Roman.' Frankie said coldly. 'I'm taking her out of Salem when she's able to leave, far away where none of you can even ever hurt her again, especially Bo and _Hopeless_ over here.'

Hope took in several deep breaths, trying not to lose her temper. 'You're mad at Bo and me, I get it. But I honestly never meant for anyone to get hurt...'

'Don't you even try justifying yourself. I dealt with that husband of yours when he tried to.'

'I'm trying to talk to you and you're just making me out the bad guy! Okay, Okay! I started all this, is that what you want to hear Frankie? But you have to believe me, I never...' she lowered her voice. 'We were going through a very rough patch. Even after I moved out, I knew it wasn't what I wanted. I just needed time.'

'That's just your problem, isn't it?'

'What are you talking about?' Hope demanded angrily.

'How many times have you screwed with Bo's emotions because you knew he loved you enough to wait for you? Only this time, he had my sister. She would never treat him the way you always do. But you and your family called her a whore and a home wrecker, making it look like she stole him.'

Hope swallowed, flushing red, unable to meet his eyes.

'You _always_ got to be the victim; _always_ got to be the favourite, _always_ got to make sure everyone has your back. _Saint Hope,_ Salem's quintessential golden girl, when what you really are is a self-centred, ball breaking _bitch!_ '

'You're being unfair,' Hope muttered, still unable to look him in the eye. She longed to cover her ears with her hands but didn't want to give Carly's brother the satisfaction how much his words stung deep. Roman said nothing.

'Unfair? _Unfair?_ ' Striding over to Hope, Frankie gave her the benefit of the angry glint in his dark eyes.

'I'll tell what's _unfair_. Bo left my sister pregnant and she got beaten up _because of you!_ ' he snarled, pointing a finger at her. 'Whoever did this, did it out of loyalty, to _you_. You have no heart. You make me sick.' He turned to Caroline who was staring at him, her eyes wet with tears. ' You _all_ make me sick. From the moment I got here, I've uncovered nothing but betrayal and _more_ betrayal, from my so-called family.'

He turned his furious glance back to Hope. ' _Damn_ you. _Damn all of you!'_

He slammed his way out of the house and Roman moved forward to console his weeping mother. His sister and sister in law had nothing to say to each other, avoiding eye contact. Roman couldn't help but think they had it long coming.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

A low moan sent Marcus hurrying to Carly's bedside, Piper and Adrienne making way for him. 'Carly?'

The injured woman moaned again, then slowly opened her eyes. Or rather, one eye as the other was bandaged. She looked disoriented as she tried to focus on the face hovering over hers.

'Carly it's me. Marcus. Marcus Hunter. It's me, honey.' He gently stroked her bruised cheek.

Carly's eye closed then opened again, the haze slowly lifting, revealing the familiar face. She tried to smile but the pain on her jaw, cheeks and swollen lips made her wince.

'Hey there, Manning.' Tears falling down his face, Marcus pressed a kiss on her forehead.

Wiping her eyes, Adrienne moved to kiss her carefully. 'We've all been so worried about you. But don't worry, you're safe alright?'

Carly blinked her eye to show she understood. She looked askance at the slim, pretty woman with silver gray eyes and precision-cut black hair.

'I'm Piper Allen. Frankie's girlfriend.' She said earnestly. 'He's told me so much about you, Carly. We flew in together with Marcus here. Frankie stepped out but he'll back soon.'

'Your friend Rafe Hernandez called Frankie over. We know what happened, Carly. Everything's going to be okay from now on.' Marcus kissed her bruised cheek carefully. 'No one's ever going to hurt you again.'

::::::

There was a knock on the door and a male nurse came in. 'Here are the charts you wanted, Dr. Carver.'

'Oh right... put them on the desk, thanks.' Lexie said distractedly, still in search of Carly by calling several hospitals and yet to find the right one. The nurse obeyed and turned to go. He hesitated, looking down at Melanie who was still being comforted by Maggie and Brady and anxiously waiting for Lexie's search to yield results.

'Mel, I'm so sorry about your Mum, how is she?' he asked.

Melanie raised her head in askance. Maggie, Daniel, Lexie, Brady and Jennifer sprang to attention. 'What?'

The young man look bewildered. 'I said I hope your Mum's okay, I heard she was attacked at her place.'

'How did you find out?' Melanie demanded harshly.

'One of the paramedics who responded to the call is a buddy of mine, he told me.'

'Colin, did he tell you where she was taken? This is really important.' Lexie urged.

Still staring at them in astonishment, Colin gave them the name of the hospital, adding, 'But I don't understand, I thought they called you ages ago about her.'

'It's a long story Colin. Are you sure that's the right name?' Lexie said.

'I'm positive.'

'But you called that hospital earlier, didn't you?' Daniel said, after Lexie sent Colin on his way, with thanks.

'I did. Maybe she's under another name.'

'Oh... of course!' Jennifer exclaimed. 'Frankie probably checked her under their family's last name; Von Leuschner. Katerina Von Leuschner.'

' _Katerina Von Leuschner?_ ' Melanie said, confused.

Lexie called the private hospital again, this time asking if a Katerina Von Leuschner was a patient and received a confirmation. 'She's there,' she said, putting the phone down.

'Thank God, _finally!_ ' Melanie exclaimed springing to her feet.

At that moment, the two Von Leuschner siblings were having a tearful reunion.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Bo pressed an ice pack on his throbbing jaw. Frankie had thoroughly vented his rage on him. But Bo wasn't concerned about the pain from his bruises- it was the least he deserved. It was more of the acute pain in his heart over what he allowed happen to Carly. All he could picture was his princess badly injured from her attack. _An attack he could've prevented._

 _I won't let anyone hurt you ever again_ , he'd promised her, staring into those beautiful green eyes looking back at him, anxious yet trusting. And he'd meant it from the heart, inwardly swearing again he'll never leave her unprotected or let her go a second time. Bo knew he could never live with himself from now on. Especially as he thought about their last conversation, replaying it yet again in his mind.

He didn't look up as a key slid into the door knob and Hope entered, closing the door behind her. 'My God...' She hurried to him. 'Are you alright?'

'What do you think?' Bo asked drily, raising his head for her to see Frankie's handiwork; two black eyes, a split lip and several bruises.

'How could he do this to you?' Hope demanded, touching his face.

'He only did what any _angry_ brother would do.' He placed the ice pack back on the bruise, turning away from her touch.

Hope, still smarting over her confrontation with Frankie, yearned to find comfort with the man she loved. 'Whatever else we're guilty of Brady, Frankie's got the rest of it all wrong. What happened to Carly...'

'I _don't_ want to talk about it.'

'Bo, you can't shut me out like this. We need to talk about it sometime.'

'Hope, just let me be, okay?'

Hope fought back tears, getting to her feet. As she got to the stairs, she paused then turned. 'Did Carly tell you about the baby?'

Bo turned sharply to stare at her, not sure he'd heard right. ' _What?_ ' he asked, his voice harsh and trembling.

Hope shook her head at Bo, his face suddenly deathly pale under the bruises. 'Roman told us, I thought you knew. I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry.' Feeling the need to be alone as well, she went upstairs, tears rolling down her cheeks at the stricken, heartsick look on her husband's face.

 _That's what Carly wanted to tell me... why she wanted us to meet._

Bo covered his face with his hands and began to weep. Just like on the day he allowed Carly Manning walk out of his life for the second time.

 _::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::_

Carly could barely talk but was obviously very happy to see her brother and Marcus, squeezing their fingers with the little strength she had and attempted several times to smile at Piper and Adrienne but her lips hurt too much. She closed her eye in relief after Dr. Gage told her the babies were alive and being closely monitored. When Rafe came to see her, bearing flowers from him and Sami, she managed to spell out a 'T' and a 'Y' on his palm- _Thank you-_ before drifting off to sleep.

Dr. Gage emphasised that with the babies still under strict observation and Carly's injuries, she couldn't be moved for at least 5 days; her condition was delicate.

'She's right,' Marcus said quietly. 'Much as I want Carly out of this damned town, we've got to think of the risks if we fly her out before she's cleared to.'

Rafe's phone rang and he answered it before handing it to Frankie. 'It's Roman.'

'What do you want now?'

'I want to send two officers to guard Carly over there.'

' No thanks, I'll arrange security detail for her myself.'

'Must you take this resentment of yours this far? I'm offering you my help.' Roman protested.

'Well, I don't need your help and I don't want _anything_ from you or Bo. Just leave us alone.' he hung up and handed it back to Rafe.

'Hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of arranging security for Carly.' Rafe said later. 'I got in touch with an old acquaintance who runs a private security firm and told him about the situation. He said he can send over two of his best operatives to guard Carly. I can watch her for you as well.'

'It's all settled then, thanks a lot Rafe.' Frankie shook his hand. 'It's a huge load off my mind. Katerina's doctor says we can't move her for now.'

'I understand.' Rafe nodded, noticing how Frankie addressed Carly as _Katerina_. Now fully aware of their upper-class background and unhappy childhood, Rafe saw just how closely connected Carly and Frankie – or rather, Katerina and Francois- were. While she was in surgery, Frankie had blamed himself, amidst protests from Marcus, Piper and Rafe; wishing he had come to visit his sister sooner. Rafe couldn't help but like Frankie very much, for his fierce protectiveness towards his sister and defending her tarnished honour. If everybody wanted to ostracise him because he made Frankie aware of what was going on, so be it.

'Mr Brady,' a nurse came up, looking harried. 'A young woman is asking to see your sister. Says she's her daughter. Dr. Gage's with her right now.'

' _Melanie_. She managed to track us down somehow.' Rafe said, while Frankie scowled darkly.

'Rafe, please stay with my sister and get Marcus out here.'

'I know my mother's here and I _demand_ to see her,' Melanie was arguing with Carly's doctor downstairs.

'Calm down, Ms Layton. Just take a seat...'

'I don't want a seat, I want to see my Mum right now!'

'Look, she's the daughter of the patient. Why are you stonewalling her like this?' Brady demanded.

'Because she has to get permission from the patient's next of kin first.'

' _Next of kin?_ What are you talking about and why the hell would I need _permission?_ ' Melanie exclaimed. Maggie and Brady were baffled, while Daniel and Jennifer exchanged uneasy looks. They should have prepared her for this.

Jennifer saw Frankie coming out of an elevator and her eyes widened at who accompanied him. ' _Marcus?_ ' she gasped, moving forward. But Frankie shrank from her touch with a scowl, while Marcus didn't acknowledge her presence.

'Ah, I was just explaining to Ms Layton here...' Dr. Gage began.

'It's okay, I'll take it from here.'

'Who the hell are you?' Melanie snapped, glaring at him.

'I'm Carly's brother,' was the cold reply. Taken aback, Melanie's anger died down.

'Frankie, how could you not tell me about Carly on the phone, what was that all about?' Jennifer asked, refusing to be ignored.

'What are you _all_ doing here, that's the real question.' Frankie replied, refusing to answer Jennifer. 'I would've thought you already guessed Katerina doesn't want to see any of you right now.'

'Why won't you let me see my Mum?' Melanie demanded.

'Because it seems she's only your Mum _when_ it suits you. So why the concern all of a sudden?'

Melanie suddenly realised what her uncle was getting at and she went red.

'I know everything, _everything_ that woman went through since she made the mistake of coming back here. But I'm not judging her, I'm judging the people who hurt her.'

' I didn't _mean_ what I said to her.' Melanie said, her voice choky.

'She really didn't.' Maggie said, holding Melanie by the shoulders.

'Really? So... all the time Melanie shunned her mother, you allowed it and comforted her instead... since you're the ideal replacement.' Marcus asked, his cold eyes now on Maggie. 'Did you even make an effort to talk to Melanie about what she was doing to her own mother? But of course you didn't, because you sided with her.'

'Lay off them, okay?' Brady said, jumping to the women's defence, seeing they were near tears. 'Now's not the time for all this, Melanie's got the right to see her mother.'

'This vindictive little brat doesn't have the right to anything.' Frankie spat.

Daniel moved forward. 'That's my daughter you're talking to.'

'Then take _your_ brat with you and leave, before I have you all thrown out.'

Melanie felt herself tremble but stood her ground. 'Fine, I'm a _brat_ , a bitch; whatever you want to call me. But the only way I'm leaving is if my Mum _herself_ tells me to leave.'

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Melanie rushed to Carly's side, appalled by her mother's banged up face. _Her beautiful face_ , she thought, tears rolling down her cheeks. Jennifer felt sick, wondering who would do such a thing to her friend. Daniel stared down at her, shame and guilt welling up.

' _Oh my God_... who did this?' Melanie whispered, taking Carly's hand. 'Mum? Mum... can you hear me? It's Mel.'

Carly turned her head slowly at the sound of her daughter's voice, peering at Melanie through her half open eye. Melanie squeezed her hand. 'Mum...' she said, her other hand reaching to touch her forehead. 'Mum. I'm here.'

Carly said nothing, her eye fixed on Melanie.

'It's okay Mum. Whoever did this... he won't get away with it. And I'm going to be looking after you from now on.'

Carly muttered something that sounded like 'touch me.'

'What, what hurts?' Melanie asked anxiously.

Carly winced with pain at the effort to talk but then tried again. 'Don't... touch... me.' Slowly she manoeuvred her hand from Melanie's hold.

Melanie rose to her feet, shocked. ' _Mum..._ '

'Leave... me... alone.' The half open eye moved up to Daniel and Jennifer who was standing behind Melanie, unable to believe what they was hearing. 'Get... out.'

Speechless with shock, Melanie covered her mouth with both hands.

'Carly, come on.' Daniel urged. 'If it's about what happened, they were just angry words in the heat of the moment. Don't hold it against her. And I know I also owe you an apology.'

'Carly, it's us... we love you.' Jennifer protested, moving to Carly's side. But there was now an icy look on her friend's face.

'Fran... Fran...' she whispered.

Frankie hurried to her side. 'Yes, sis?'

'Get... them... out.'

Frankie rose. 'You heard her loud and clear. Leave.'

Melanie's eyes filled with tears, still unable to speak. She stared down at Carly but Carly slowly turned her face away, wincing. Her lower lip was bleeding. 'You turned her against me!' she burst out, Daniel's arms coming round her.

'Carly's had enough rejection from you. You did this by yourself.' Marcus said coldly, taking a sterile cloth to dab the blood off Carly's lip.

'The three of you get out.' Frankie ordered.

'Frankie, let's at least talk about this, _please_ ,' Jennifer pleaded. 'For the sake of how I feel about both of you...'

'For the last time, get out or I will call security. Don't bother coming back here because you won't be allowed in.' Frankie's cold eyes rested on the woman he once loved. 'And please, don't insult us both by pretending you still have regard for Carly or me. We both know whose side you're really on.'

Jennifer walked out with Daniel and Melanie in a daze, devastated and hurt by Frankie's harsh words, Piper and Rafe watching them leave in silence.

'She sent me away, Mum sent me away. She's so angry with me!' Melanie wept, rushing into Brady's arms. Maggie saw how white her niece looked as she slipped her arms round her. She looked at Daniel. 'Is that true?'

'I think it's just the shock of the beating she got, Maggie. Carly's in a bad way right now, we should simply give her time to get over this.'

'I think Daniel's right,' Jennifer said quietly, refusing to believe Carly will turn her daughter or best friend away if she was thinking clearly. Carly loved her daughter. True, Carly had been distant towards her for a while now, but Jennifer was confident Carly would eventually forgive her for siding with Hope. She wouldn't allow her bitterness towards Bo and Hope stand in the way of their friendship. Frankie will have to understand that, when Carly eventually sent for them.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Frankie told Carly she will be moved to a reputable hospital in D.C, where she would also get some reconstructive surgery. Afterwards, she will stay with him and Piper, for as long as she wanted. Sensing she was still upset by Melanie's visit, he added, 'I don't expect you to completely write her out of your life, Katerina. But I think it's best if you two don't see each other for a while.'

Sternly warned by Dr Gage not to force herself to talk, Carly managed to nod in agreement. She was too sore and her mind too fevered to gather her thoughts together. She needed to be far away from Salem, away from the people who'd given her so much pain and the attacker who almost killed her. Why anybody would want her dead, she was yet to realise. But until she was out of Salem, she and her unborn children were not safe.

As promised, the hired bodyguards were posted outside her room, one during the day, the other relieving him at night, closely monitoring whoever went in or out. A tall Korean-American, who introduced himself as Cain Walker, a war veteran. The other was a hefty woman called Meredith Taggart, a former professional athlete; versed in martial arts and kickboxing. Stern-faced with a mass of frizzy curls, her eyes were however gentle. 'I hope eventually they'll catch the guy who did this to you.' She said.

'Were you allowed to see her?' Daniel asked Lexie, who had told him she was going to visit Carly and take her some flowers.

'I did.' She replied quietly. Frankie got Carly's permission, after much earnest pleading.

'I know I've not been a friend to you at all,' she'd said. 'Taking sides and then not bothering to find out how you were after you and Bo broke up. I was just like everyone else, pretending nothing happened. All I can say is... I'm really sorry, for everything you went been through, on top of this. I got your letter. And I can imagine how angry and bitter you must be. We _all_ treated you badly. But... I hope you'll reconsider your resignation. This isn't just the Chief of Staff talking, it's me Lexie... who hopes to make it up to you in many ways. Abe feels really guilty too. Of course, you can take all the time you need to get better. I know just how much you're hurting inside. But please, don't leave. You're still a beautiful woman Carly, and a great physician. You can get through this somehow, and I will help you in any way I can, if you'll give me the chance to.'

'She said no,' Daniel guessed, his heart sinking.

Carly wasn't able to speak, except for a slow but firm shake of the head. 'Nothing I said moved her. I keep putting myself in her shoes, and I can't say I don't understand her decision to leave town.'

'She _can't_ leave town. Melanie will be devastated.'

'And _why_ exactly would she be?' Lexie asked scornfully. 'Or you, for that matter?'

Daniel flinched at Lexie's jab. 'We both regret the way we behaved, okay? You could've least asked Carly to forgive our daughter. They need each other more than ever right now.'

'First off, you need to do that yourself, Daniel. And second, how come you didn't say so to Melanie the whole time Carly was coping with her pain, all alone? All Carly has to do is put one tiny foot wrong and Melanie throws one of her stupid tantrums. It's obvious, Carly finally got tired of it!' Lexie snapped.

'That's a cheap shot!' Daniel snapped back, angry Lexie was likening Melanie to a spoiled brat.

'Have it your way, Daniel. You and your kid want forgiveness from Carly; _earn_ it. Don't expect any help from me.' Turning her heel, Lexie stormed to her office.

Daniel glared after her. His own behaviour he could put up being criticised for. But not his daughter's, who was very upset at her mother's coldness. Maggie Horton, Jennifer or Brady couldn't intercede because they weren't allowed to see Carly either. Carly simply didn't want to see anyone.

How would they be able to be reconciled if she was bent on leaving Salem?

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Adrienne Kiriakis took one look at Bo's black eyes and split lip and gave a derisive snort. 'Frankie should've done much worse.'

'How's Carly?' Bo asked quietly, sliding over Adrienne's remark.

'She's being taken care of.'

'What about... what about the baby?'

Adrienne looked hard at Bo, whose face was grim. 'Why do you care?'

'Just answer, alright? Did our baby make it?'

'By a miracle, yes.' Adrienne didn't bother telling him Carly was carrying twins. He didn't deserve to know.

Bo hadn't been able to do anything except think about Carly since her attack, living with his painful guilt. Their baby was _alive_ , a miracle like Adrienne said. But _Carly_... he wanted to beg forgiveness for his betrayal... there were so many things he wanted to say to her. Only a fool would expect a betrayed woman to easily forget what happened but he had to try.

'I need your help.'

'I already know what you want and I'll see you in hell before I let you anywhere near her. Just leave that woman in peace.'

'Then you'll just gonna have to because I have to see her. I _need_ to see her, you hear me?' Bo barked, urgency mixed with anger in his voice now.

'I can't do that. Frankie will...'

' _I don't give a damn!_ ' Bo's blazing hazel eyes met his. 'You do all you can to get me into her room or so help me I'll march in there without it!'

Adrienne knew only too well Bo Brady would do just that.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'Thank you for coming, Marcus.' Maggie said, holding out her hand to him then dropped it when he made no effort to take it.

'What's this about?' he asked, arms folded. 'I don't want to be in this house longer than I have to.'

'If it's Victor you're worried about, he's not here.'

Marcus scoffed at the idea of being worried or scared of Victor Kiriakis of all people. 'Well?'

Maggie looked over his shoulder. 'You can come in, honey.'

Marcus turned sharply as Melanie walked into the living room. 'You've _got_ to be kidding. I'm out of here.'

'Dr. Hunter, please don't go, wait please!' Melanie begged, blocking his way, palms up. 'I really need your help.'

'Little girl, you don't get to ask me for anything. Get out of my way.'

' _Please_ ,' Melanie stood her ground, eyes firmly on Marcus' face. ' _Please_ listen to me. I need you to talk to Mum. She still won't budge and I really need to be with her.'

'You should've thought that when she _really_ needed you.' Marcus spat disdainfully.

'Marcus, please let's not drag that out.'

' _You_ dragged it out.' Marcus turned to Maggie, his dark eyes glinting with her. 'You sat back and let her hurt Carly as if Bo hadn't done enough. You cared more about this girl's feelings than Carly's. What was the terrible thing Carly did that her own daughter would turn her back on her? Why didn't you or Jonas do anything then?'

Melanie lowered her eyes, heartsick. Marcus interrupted before Maggie could speak again.

'No, I don't want to listen to anything else. I'm ashamed of all of you. The Hortons, the Bradys... you all ganged up on that innocent woman. I wonder what Dr Horton or Alice would think of all of you right now.' He turned his cold glance back at Melanie who had tears running down her cheeks. 'Carly doesn't want to see you. So, don't expect any help from me.'

'What are you doing in my house, Hunter?' Victor entered just as Melanie and Maggie were trying to stop Marcus from leaving.

'I asked him to come. Please stay out of this, Victor.'

'Don't worry, I was already leaving this damned house anyway.' Marcus said, flinching with dislike at the sight of Victor.

'If it's about that whore, I don't know why you're bothering with her. Maybe now she'll get out town like she was supposed to.'

Melanie gasped in horror.

' _Victor!_ ' cried Maggie, shocked.

'I _know_ you didn't just call Carly a whore in front of me.' Marcus said slowly.

'I did, loud and clear. Because that's what she is.' Victor replied calmly. 'And frankly, she deserved what she got.'

' _Shut up_ , Victor! How dare you!' Melanie cried, infuriated.

'Kiriakis, I might just forget myself and hurt you.' Marcus snarled, hands balled into fists.

'Marcus... please no.' Maggie pleaded, holding on to his arm.

'You had many chances to call me out, Hunter. Did you ever raise a hand, much less your voice, to ever defend Carly the whole time you trailed after her years ago? You probably had your own intentions the whole time she was married to me or when she was sleeping with Bo behind my back.'

' _What?_ ' Melanie whispered, stunned, not sure she heard right.

'Victor, that's enough.' Maggie snapped.

'But you were too scared to say a word to me,' Victor taunted on relentlessly, pleased at the look of fury on Marcus' face. 'Like the night she was caught in the elevator. Everyone accused me of paying to get it sabotaged, but not you. Instead, like an obedient little boy, you did your job and let Bo do all the talking. So don't pretend to be that whore's white knight now.'

Marcus' fist immediately made contact with Victor's jaw.

'Marcus, don't... I beg you please!' Maggie screamed as Marcus grabbed Victor by his jacket lapels and hit him again.

'That woman's a filthy whore!' spat Victor, his mouth bleeding. 'Do your worst!'

Marcus' hands gripped Victor's neck, trembling with rage. 'That's what you feel huh?'

'Yes.'

'Carly Manning's a _lady_. And guess what... you, Alamain and that worthless son of yours aren't fit to wipe her shoes. The night I saw her lying on that gurney, I wanted to kill you. I wanted to thrash you within the inch of your pathetic life, Kiriakis. Whatever fear I felt that night was not of you. It was the fear I wouldn't be able to save Carly's life. And the more I think of it, I suddenly wonder if it was really Bo who was meant to die that night.'

Victor struggled but Marcus held him in a vice grip, causing him to gasp. 'Underneath your thousand dollar suits, you're evil. You're beyond evil, you're _pure filth_. If I ever find out you did this to Carly, you're a dead man. I swear to God, I will come back and kill you.'

He shoved Victor on the nearest armchair, wiping his hands in disgust as Maggie rushed to tend to her husband. Melanie stared at them and back to Marcus, green eyes filled with shock, her expression stricken.

Without a word, Marcus let himself out, still feeling no sympathy for her. Like Maggie, she'd chosen to marry a Kiriakis- according to Rafe- which further disgusted him. She obviously knew nothing about Carly's full past with Bo, how Victor had tricked Carly into marrying him by swapping Bo's love letter to her for a forged one. Or how Victor planned Bo's death but Carly almost got killed instead. Both families told the girl nothing. But the way she had treated Carly was still inexcusable and his loyalty lay with Carly and Carly alone. Marcus wasn't prepared to lift a finger for Melanie Kiriakis.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'It's alright, Meredith, he's with me.'

The hefty woman nodded, watching Bo with narrowed eyes.

' _Five_ minutes,' Adrienne said for the umpteenth time, wondering what the hell she was thinking, allowing Bo to talk her into this. 'I don't want Frankie suddenly coming back and find you here.'

Bo brushed past Adrienne, barely hearing her as he closed the door behind him. _That... that disfigured woman on the bed isn't Carly, it can't be Carly_ , he thought, heartsick. His princess was beautiful. The woman on the bed was battered and unrecognisable, her injured eye covered and one arm in a cast across her chest. As he stared down at her, Bo's mind went back to the night Carly returned to Salem, when she told him the number of times Lawrence beat and tortured her. He didn't want to visualise how she must have suffered all those years. Seeing her now, bruised and battered, he did...vividly. _This is all my fault._

Sitting down, Bo ran a trembling hand over her feverish cheek, not bothering to hold back his tears. In seconds, a green eye was staring up at him.

'I'm so sorry princess,' he choked hoarsely. 'Forgive me, _please_ forgive me, baby.' He leaned down to kiss her but she made a little noise, glaring at him.

'Get... out.' She whispered with effort.

'Princess, listen to me, _please_. I did a terrible thing and I don't expect you to forgive me right now. I broke a lot of promises I made to you, I know. But I _swear_... I *never* meant to hurt you. This isn't what I wanted for us.'

'You...' Carly whispered again. 'You... _you_... _did_ _this_. You ... let... this... happen to me. You... _lied_... to me. Always Hope. I... was a... _mistake_.'

'No... no...' Bo replied, gripping her hand. 'It's not true, don't say that.'

'You... told her _that_.' An angry tear rolled down her eye, and she weakly struggled to pull her hand away from him. 'I... _hate_...you. I...hate you... both. Will... never... forgive you. Get...out. I... never... ever... want to... see you again. Get...out.'

The door open and Adrienne came in, just in time to hear what Carly said. 'Bo, that's enough. You promised you weren't going to upset her.'

'Carly, please listen to me. There's something I really need to tell you.' Bo said desperately, refusing to let go of her hand, ignoring Adrienne.

' _Leave. Me. alone._ _Get. out.'_ Carly's voice was rising, which was bad for her. Her lower lip was bleeding again and her heart rate was going up, by the monitor's erratic beeping. Next thing, the babies could be in distress.

'Bo, get _out right now_.' Adrienne ordered, rushing to Carly's side to calm her down. The door opened again, this time it was Meredith. 'What's going on here? Is Dr Manning okay?' She glared at Bo, her initial suspicion mounting. 'What did _you_ do to her?'

'I'll deal with him. You get Dr Gage now.' Adrienne turned to Bo who stood by, upset by Carly's distress. 'What are you still standing here for? I said get out!'

Only for the sake of Carly's state of mind that Bo obeyed Adrienne, with a very heavy heart. By the time he got home that night, he was so drunk Hope had to help him up the stairs to their room.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bo waited two days before calling Adrienne. And she dropped a bombshell. Frankie chartered a private plane and took Carly away, accompanied by Piper and Marcus


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Hope entered _The Java_ , heading straight to the table where her half-sister was waiting for her.

'How's Bo these days?' Julie Williams asked, after Hope placed her order.

'I honestly don't know what to do anymore. I'm afraid he blames me too.'

In spite of the counselling sessions, Hope felt Bo was yet to let go of what happened five years ago. He tried really hard and there were times he was his old self. But there were other times he would be sullen and unfriendly, refusing to let her get close.

'Don't talk like that, of course he doesn't. And I'll tell you this again, Frankie and Marcus were just looking for somebody to blame at the time.'

Hope felt Julie would think differently if she had been there, to hear the hatred in Carly's brother's voice during that terrible scene at Caroline's house. _A self-centred, ball breaking bitch,_ he called her. Well, she made some bad decisions and blamed Carly for a lot of things. And the time she coldly rubbed it in Carly's face that she and Bo had a 25 year old history and both families were firmly on _her_ side.

 _What I see this you want this to play out as a great love story and it's not. You say you love Bo? Then maybe you should start thinking about what you're doing to his life._

Carly had bore her cruel words with a quiet dignity that made her even more resentful of her at the time, causing her to lash out at Bo when he came to Carly's rescue. Whenever she remembered that evening Hope cringed, realising how sanctimonious and bitchy she'd appeared to Carly and Bo at the time. She, who would never wilfully hurt anyone, doing and saying all those things. Bo forgave her, when she didn't deserve to be forgiven. She and Bo got back together, but at the expense of another. Which only made her realise the deep love and bond Bo and Carly while she was gone, since Carly didn't have to scheme to get Bo back even if she had the mind to do so. Bo had gladly fallen into Carly's arms in a heartbeat.

Hope confided in Julie about Bo's occasional pensiveness and black moods. 'I don't even know if he's actually thinking of her or their child.' She added.

'He still doesn't know if it's a boy or a girl?'

Hope shook her head. Adrienne was the only one in Salem besides Rafe who knew but their loyalty to Carly was far above Bo's feelings. 'It's killing him not knowing or not even seeing a photograph. And with Christmas coming soon, I'm dreading he'll get worse. I know Carly has every reason to hate us. But after that thing with Melanie not knowing who her parents were for years, she has to stop punishing him like this. The more she keeps his own child from him, the worse it would be between us.' Hope insisted. 'And I can't stand seeing him this way.'

'Eventually, Carly will realise their child has the right to know its father. In Melanie's case, it wasn't like she kept her from Daniel on purpose, like we all thought at first.' Julie got that info from Jennifer, who was still yet to hear from Carly again since her departure from Salem. 'Try not to worry honey. Things will get better with Bo, you'll see.'

Hope shrugged and took another sip of her coffee, hoping she was right.

At the docks, Bo was staring down at an old photo he found in an old album from his mother's attic. The album was full of photos of Carly and him during their time together the first time around, which he now kept in a locked drawer. But this particular photo was always in his wallet. It was taken on New Year's Eve 1991, Julie's party in _The Wings_. Carly was standing behind him, her arms clasped round his waist. They were both smiling for the camera, Carly's eyes twinkling.

 _That smile._ _Those eyes_.

Will he never be free of his guilt?

Anytime Bo called Frankie or emailed him, he got hung up on, his messages unanswered. And no matter how much he badgered Adrienne, she stubbornly refused to tell him where Carly was living now or a word about their child. And for a long time Rafe refused to speak to him. But Roman had managed to stop him from resigning, to Hope's fury - as she blamed him for the humiliation she got from Frankie. They were back to their old friendship but Rafe refused to say a word about Carly either. And Melanie couldn't help because she was on the same boat as him. Amidst tears, she had told him what happened when she went to see Carly at the hospital and never saw nor heard from her since. For Carly to turn away from the daughter she loved very much, she must have been really angry. But Bo understood all the same. Add what he did to her, Carly had reached her breaking point.

A reconciliation between Melanie and Carly would be easier, compared to Carly and him. He had betrayed her in the worst possible way... to make things easier for himself. But would he have done things a whole lot differently if he had _known_ she was pregnant? That particular question kept nagging him. And what would he do if he did see her again, besides ask for forgiveness? Will he be faced with a choice between Hope and her again?

' _I think you should know what you saved me from.'_

 _Carly's lovely face was illuminated by the flames of the fire as she listened to him intently._

' _You saved my life and I can't thank you enough. But I can love you and I do love you. I've never loved anyone as much as I love you.'_

' _I love you too. But you don't have to thank me for what we have because I'm no more responsible for this than you are.' She replied softly._

' _Well hell, we ought to thank somebody.' He smiled as she chuckled, loving that sound coming from her mouth._

' _Who do I thank? I guess I ought to do it like the Mayans do it.' Raising his voice he said to the star filled sky, 'Gracias a la vida!' before kissing her deeply and holding her tight in his arms, daring anything or anyone to try taking this beautiful woman away from him._

'Damn it!' Bo swore, staring at the river.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 _Dededo, Guam_

'Mummy?'

Carly's mind went back to the present and she focused on the bright green eyes looking at her with worry. 'Yes, sweetheart?' she asked, drawing the little girl standing beside her closer.

'Are you okay?'

'Of course I am. Why do you ask?'

'You look sad.'

'Oh no... darling, I'm not. Really I'm not. I was just thinking hard about something. I'm not sad, I promise.' Smiling, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. 'Run along now.'

The five year old cupped Carly's cheek briefly before running back to her twin and three friends of theirs who were playing by the pool. Carly watched as her daughter say something to her brother who turned to look at her, his expression suddenly worried. But Carly smiled and waved, earning sweet smiles from them and to her relief, went on with their game _._

 _My miracle children_ , she thought the familiar love and fierce protectiveness sweeping through her. When they were born, she was bent on not giving them names associated with Bo. But even though she was very bitter over him and the Bradys, Isabella Toscano had been like a sister to her. Hence she had named her daughter, Evangeline Isabelle Serena Manning. The boy was Ethan Rafael Francis Manning and Frankie, Piper, Marcus and Adrienne were their godparents.

Although they both had her natural chestnut hair and green eyes, they were fraternal twins. Evangeline, 'Vange' _only_ to Ethan, looked more like her. Ethan, four minutes older, had his father's handsome features; both that and his mannerisms painfully reminded her of Bo and Shawn Douglas. And even at five, Ethan and Evangeline seemed wise beyond their years. Their large eyes had a look of intensity that heightened their adorable looks. They resisted being pampered, were each other's best friend. But they showed in many ways, how much they loved their mother. Carly realised early they were protective of her and always seemed to sense whenever she was troubled. Once, when the crushing sadness swept through her, Ethan slipped his little hand into hers, asking no questions. Another time it happened, Evangeline-without a word- nestled her thin body against hers. They were her joy, her pride and very existence. She owed the twins nothing but the best, which was why she still kept going for therapy; Frankie, Piper and Marcus doing their own bit. What Evangeline sensed just then wasn't sadness; just her mind going back to the past. With Christmas round the corner, her mind went back to a Christmas many years ago. 1991, her first happy Christmas with Bo, Shawn Douglas and the Bradys. She still remembered the warm feeling of being a member of the family, secure of Bo's love and looking forward to their future together... which she despised herself for. In D.C, reconstructive surgery had taken care of her battered face. Besides a recommended psychiatrist, Frankie, Piper and Marcus had given her a lot of emotional support during her recovery, which she was more than grateful for. By the time the twins were born, Carly felt the need to regain control of her life. D.C not being her scene, she had bought a large house in Dededo and moved there after the twins' first birthday.

Sometimes Carly had nightmares of that fateful day, the dark shape descending on her. And occasionally there were intense feelings of sadness, anger and bitterness. She missed Nicky and Melanie but then remembered their rejection. And kept reminding herself of the empathy she got during her recovery.

 _What happened at Parker's christening wasn't my fault._

And whenever she thought of Bo, she pushed him away by remembering the painful phone conversation. She still saw a therapist, wanting to get rid of the negative feelings and be the mother Ethan and Evangeline deserved and the dedicated doctor she has always been. And so far, her life in Dededo with them was of relative peace.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Brady-Horton Christmas party was held at the Kiriakis mansion that year; an 8 foot long Christmas tree Victor's living room stood in grandiose grace, the gaily wrapped presents underneath it. Bo stared up at it with disgust and bitterness before roaming about the crowded room, an untouched glass of eggnog still in his hand. So much for Christmas cheer. He felt nothing of the sort, only the aching pain in his heart he's not been able to be free of for five years.

Marriage counselling had been Hope's idea. But what she didn't know was that he had been seeing Marlena on another case entirely... his guilt, sickening shame and remorse.

Marlena kept pointing out that he couldn't have known Carly would be attacked. But Bo knew she would never have been attacked in the first place if they were still together, under his protection. She could've died or lost the baby that day.

'Are you okay, Dad?' Ciara asked anxiously. 'I've said we're about to open presents like three times but it's like you didn't hear me.'

Bo forced himself to smile at his daughter, now a beautiful teenager. 'I'm sorry honey, I was miles away.'

'Well, come back to earth already,' the girl grumbled, dragging him by the hand to where the family was gathered.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

At Carly's house in Dededo, gifts were already exchanged and Frankie and Marcus were supervising the turkey being barbequed on the stainless steel outdoor spit, while Carly, Adrienne and Piper brought out the rest of Christmas lunch from the kitchen, the twins helping them. Since it didn't snow in Guam, everyone wore light clothes, but on their heads were Santa hats with chasing lit-up stars across the front. While they eyed the turkey with eager eyes, the twins were especially looking forward to the chocolate and coconut cream cake Carly ordered from the bakery.

Watching Carly, Frankie wondered if his sister has completely put that terrible day, and the events before it, completely behind her. While he and Piper would've preferred her and the twins near them, Guam was a better setting for her; she has never been a city person. And even though Carly was now a few years away from 50, her lightly tanned skin and hair streaked by the sun made her look younger. There was no telling if she would give romance another chance, but Frankie would rather have the reason to be Carly was more focused on the twins than still having feelings for Bo. He'll never forgive Bo, Hope or their families for what they did to his sister, ever. Abruptly he focused on the turkey, pushing back his angry thoughts.

'You mind grabbing me a beer?' he asked Marcus.

'Oh, sure, I could do with one myself.' As he spoke, he saw Carly emerging through the French Windows with an ice cooler. 'Whoa, Whoa... I'll take that.' He said, hurrying to relieve it from her.

Carly smiled up at him and he smiled back, something Frankie couldn't help but notice. If Carly did give her heart again, Marcus would be the best choice. Close friends have been known to fall in love and Frankie knew Marcus Hunter would give Carly his heart and not a part of it, that is if their relationship did become deeper than it was now.

The turkey finally done, it was taken off the spit and within moments graced the centre of the table. Carly sat at the head and reached out for Marcus' hand, who was seated at her left and Frankie's, who was seated on her right. Evangeline slipped her small hand into Marcus' other hand, while Ethan took his aunt's, his other hand entwined with Adrienne's.

'We thank you Lord for this family, this bounty and this day. We pray for your blessings and many more of these moments.'

'Amen.' Everyone echoed and dug in, happiness and contentment enveloping them.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Back in Salem, Justin was thinking of Adrienne with bitterness and yearning. Things had gotten so bad between them that Adrienne had filed for a divorce, refusing to go one with a marriage that was no longer a marriage but a drowning ship. He wasn't sure where she was but he had a strong guess who she was spending Christmas with, a name no one dared mention out loud, and definitely not in Bo's hearing. The last person who dared to had been Sami's older sister Carrie, mentioning her in a scathing comment then received such a vicious tongue lashing from her uncle that Roman, who was present, had to intervene as Bo was angry enough to hit a chastened Carrie. She and Austin hadn't come for the holidays, preferring to spend it with Shawn Douglas, Belle and Claire in Chicago.

'Merry Christmas Daddy,' Ciara said, passing Bo a small wrapped package. Bo smiled at the gift, a simple silver tie-tack, a line of black onyx mounted on it. 'Thanks, baby.' He kissed the delighted girl on the cheek.

Hope cleared her throat. 'My turn,' she passed Bo a slightly larger package. A Rolex watch met his gaze on unwrapping. 'Look at the inscription at the back,' she prodded.

'Merry Christmas B, Love H', he read dully, his mind going back to another Christmas several years ago.

 _'On two; one, two...'_

 _Carly opened her gift a few seconds before he opened his, and they laughed with the rest of the family as they immediately saw they'd got each other the same thing. A fishing pole._

 _'Man... I don't believe this!' he exclaimed, tickled but touched all the same._

 _'Well, they do say great minds think alike,' Kimberly quipped, smiling at Kayla._

 _'Well, what I was thinking that you could use a better wrap to keep up with me, you know,' Carly teased, putting hers down._

 _'Keep up with you?' he asked, as Pop laughed at Carly's remark. 'Hang on to that, would you?' he handed the pole to Kimberly before advancing at Carly. 'She's going to get it.'_

 _'I'm kidding! I'm kidding!' Carly backed up, grinning at him._

 _'I'll kid you.' He took her in his arms, silencing her protests as his lips eagerly touched hers. As far as he was concerned, she was his real Christmas gift._

'Bo, what's wrong? Don't you like it?' Hope asked anxiously, touching his arm.

'It's really nice.' He said, putting it back in its box.

'Really nice? I thought you would at least say...'

'Hope, will you please let it go already?' he snarled, glaring at her.

A stunned hush and Ciara shrank back, shocked at his tone.

'What the hell's wrong with you?' demanded Hope.

'There's nothing wrong with me.' Bo snapped back. 'I said it's nice! What more do you want, a song and dance to go along with it?'

'Bo, you need to need to watch your tone, there's no reason to yell at Hope that way.' Victor admonished him sharply.

Glowering at him, Bo dropped the box and strode out of the room, ignoring the amazed protests behind him. Grabbing his coat from the foyer, he left the mansion and called a cab, giving the cab driver Brady's address.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Melanie Layton was more than glad to be at Brady's for Christmas. There was no way she could ever be in the same room with Victor, not after the scene in his house with Marcus Hunter and everything she found out about him. He made her skin crawl and she was so filled with hatred for him that nothing Maggie said or did could ever make her feel otherwise. She was more than grateful to Daniel, Brady and to Colin, who she was now dating. He was so sweet and kind and unlike the other nurses- who for a long time sat in judgment of her for the way she treated Carly- he constantly stuck up for her and was her rock. But it didn't mean she felt free of her overwhelming guilt and pain. She missed her mother terribly, wondering where she could be. Her first thought was that Frankie must have taken her to D.C but Maggie and Brady urged her to give her time to recover from her injuries and shock before contacting her. Maggie firmly believed Carly was simply upset and angry over the attack, that she didn't mean what she said that day. But Melanie couldn't bring herself to accept that, not after her past behaviour towards Carly, who obviously finally got tired of it.

Melanie had followed their advice but when the agonising months turned to over a year, she asked Brady to hire a private detective to find out if Carly was in D.C, before heading out there to see her. But the report had come back; Carly had lived with Frankie and Piper after leaving the hospital but then moved out of the country but he had no idea where. And the detective was unable to find out about her little sister or brother, if he or she had lived.

'Penny for your thoughts,' Colin put an arm around her, passing her a cup of eggnog.

'Nothing much, hon.' She ran a hand over his floppy blond hair fondly.

'I know you, babe... there's something. Give, what is it?' When Melanie said nothing, he sighed. 'Your Mum?'

She nodded. 'I can't help it... I just wish I knew where she is, if she's okay... if my little sister and brother are okay. If I'll ever see her again so I can ask her to forgive me.'

'Babe, you really need to let this go.'

'I can't let my Mum go.'

'That's not what I meant. I mean, you need to stop fretting over what happened. Besides, it's not like you didn't have reason to be mad at her. Look at what she kept from you, that thing about Phillip and your step mum.'

'That wasn't her fault; I just didn't want to listen to her at the time.'

'Babe, babe...' he admonished her gently. 'Remember we've been through this over and over. This is Christmas, you really need to stop being sad. When she's ready to come back, she will. Okay?'

Melanie nodded again and leaned over to kiss him. 'You're right.'

'That's my girl.'

Melanie mingled among the guests, seeing Rafe and Sami animatedly talking with Brady. In despair, she had turned to him, pleading for information about Carly. For a long time, Rafe had treated her the way he treated Bo, with coldness and contempt. But while he gradually softened towards her when he saw she was really sorry, he admitted he couldn't give her information. Since the attack, Carly feared for her life and he and Adrienne simply couldn't let her whereabouts hit the wrong ears, even if it meant keeping it from Melanie. Hence, reluctantly Melanie only had the hope of Carly coming back to Salem, when she was ready, like Colin said.

Daniel was pulling duty at the hospital but promised to show up as soon as he could. So when the doorbell rang, she immediately assumed it was him. But to her surprise, when Brady opened the door, she saw it was Bo instead.

'What a surprise. Is everything okay?' Brady asked, shaking his uncle's hand.

'Not really.' Bo said flatly, taking off his coat. 'I really needed to get out of that damned house.'

Brady raised his eyebrows but didn't question him Bo further; he knew like everyone else Bo was prone to dark moods since Carly's attack. 'Make yourself at home then. There's beer, Nog, Punch and enough eats for an army.'

'Thanks.' Pausing to kiss Sami and share a nod with Rafe, he grabbed a beer from the ice-filled tub, taking a grateful sip.

'Hi.' A hand touched his arm. Bo turned and smiled faintly at Melanie. 'Hi. Merry Christmas.'

'Merry Christmas. Did Victor piss you enough to storm out of his house?'

'That's about right.' Bo replied dryly. 'And then some.'

Melanie shrugged.

'Where's Daniel?'

'At the hospital. But he'll be here soon.' Melanie scanned his face. 'It's more than just about Victor, is it?'

To his horror, Bo felt the sudden sting of tears. Blinking hard, he nodded.

'Let's go somewhere quiet.'

Grabbing another beer, Bo followed Melanie up to the roof, passing it to her.

Being on the same boat, Bo Brady and Melanie Layton had developed an alliance of some sorts. It was from Bo that Melanie learned more about Carly's marriage to Victor, why it had happened in the first place and the many dirty tricks Victor pulled on them. And needing to reminisce, Bo had also told Melanie about his past with her mother; sharing their old photos in the album and so many priceless memories that she almost felt she'd been a part of it. Because Melanie felt very ashamed of herself about Carly, she refused to judge Bo for his own past actions. They were both still serving their punishment.

'What happened?' she asked him quietly as they stared up at the cloudy sky.

Bo told her of the memory that came to him and she couldn't help but smile. 'You both got the same thing.'

'We sure did. Only two people like us would have the same idea. One heart, one soul, one mind. That was Carly and me. And I let her go. Twice. It really hit me hard... too hard that I snapped and bit Hope's head off.'

'I would've done the same, taking it out on the nearest person.'

'I don't know long I can go on like this, Mel.'

'Neither do I.'

'You've got a better chance, even if you don't think so. You weren't the one who broke a promise. You're the child she longed for, for so long.'

'I abandoned her, I hurt her.'

'A mother's love's forever.'

Melanie's tears fell down her cheeks. If the baby lived, Carly was probably focusing all her love on him or her and might have no room for her. She wanted to believe Bo and Colin were right, that Carly still loved her and will come back.

'Do you still love her, Bo?'

'I never really stopped loving her, Mel.'

'Then why? Why?' she whispered, asking him the question at long last. 'Why did you let her go the way you did? How could you carry on with Hope that fast after you guys broke up... if you say you loved Mum? _Why_?'

Bo took a deep breath, turning away. How could he begin to explain? For the umpteenth time, his mind went back to the phone call.

 _'Are you alone?'_

 _'Hope's in the shower.' He knew he shouldn't have said that but it was too late already. 'What's up?'_

 _'I need to see you about something important.' Carly said, her quiet tone now sounding rather cold._

 _'What is it?'_

 _'It's not something I can talk about over the phone. We have to meet.'_

 _'On our last encounter, you told me to leave you alone.' he replied. Going to the hospital to see Carly was a mistake on his part but he had to know if she was doing fine. One look at the pale, devastated face told him she wasn't and the guilt he already felt further went up, along with the aching longing he managed to push back._

 _'I know what I said. But that's neither here nor there now. Something's come up...'_

 _'Listen to me,' he interrupted. 'Seeing each other again is just going to make things between us a lot worse.'_

 _'Bo...'_

 _'Carly. It's over between us, this time for good. What you said to me at the hospital, you were right. I'm sorry to have to admit it but that's how it is. You're very angry now but eventually you're going to move on, with someone else who will give you all of him and not part of it.'_

 _Silence, then Carly's voice came back, even quieter. 'And finally I get the truth from you.'_

 _'And Truth sometimes heals, as much as it hurts.' He clearly visualised the sickened expression on that beautiful face as she was listening to his cruel words._

 _But they needed to be said, for both their sakes. He was freeing her, as much as he was freeing himself, even though it was killing him...saying such things to her. 'If you want to hate me Carly, you might as well keep hating me but it won't change the situation. Don't call me again.'_

 _He hung up, pressing his trembling fist against his mouth._

Why indeed? The answer was simple enough.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

'Thank you for taking the time to see me. Please.' Caroline indicated the chair and Adrienne sank into it, watching the older woman warily. Caroline's eyes were on her clasped hands and the expression on her lined face was hesitant yet determined at the same time. Adrienne waited patiently.

'I need to you to do something for me.' She said at last. 'I want...I want you to talk to Carly.'

Adrienne stiffened. 'About what exactly?'

'The last thing a mother wants is watching their children in pain. I can't stand watching Bo in pain any longer. Two wrongs don't make a right, Adrienne. Carly can't keep punishing my son like this, not letting him know his own child.'

'I can't believe I'm hearing this from you.'

'Please, let me finish.'

'How can you still say a thing like that about Carly, after everything Bo and Hope put her through? What _you_ and the families put her through?'

Caroline bit her lip. 'Alright, that came out wrong.'

'No, Caroline, it's what you actually think of Carly. You see an unfeeling woman who would actually use her children as a weapon. It's not enough you especially blamed her for Bo and Hope's problems and you and Kayla almost getting her fired over that stupid thing with Chloe.'

'Adrienne...'

' _No talk_ about if she's okay. _No talk_ about asking her to forgive you all or wanting to make things right with her. Just caring more about _your son's_ pain. And you wonder why Carly doesn't ever want to come back here.' Disgusted, Adrienne grabbed her purse and got up.

'Don't leave, _please_.' Caroline rose too, her expression now pleading. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I really didn't. Please... sit down.' Reluctantly, Adrienne obeyed, making up her mind to leave if Caroline Brady insulted her friend again.

'Forgive me, I was just... well, I've been so desperate over Bo that I didn't think before speaking earlier.' Caroline took a deep breath and continued, 'we gave Carly more than enough reason to hate us, I'm aware of that. A lot of things happened to her and I said a lot of things to her that I'm really ashamed of now. Please don't think I'm saying this only because Carly got pregnant. I've been ashamed of myself for a very long time now.' Caroline wiped a tear with the back of her thumb.

'What exactly do you want from me?' Adrienne asked coldly, unmoved.

'I want you to talk to Carly. She has to come back to Salem, Melanie needs her mother. And Bo... he's been carrying so much guilt about Carly, I know he badly wants her forgiveness and a chance to know their child. He keeps blaming himself for her attack.'

'He has every reason to blame himself. As for Melanie, she's getting exactly what she deserves, treating Carly the way she did. Because of something _you_ tampered with, making it look like Carly knew the whole time Phillip had an affair with Chloe.'

Caroline bit her lower lip, looking down at her clasped hands again. 'I know what I did and like I told you, I'm ashamed about it. For what I did and for letting Carly take the blame. But Carly can't hold a grudge forever.'

'This is more about what you, Bo, Hope and Melanie did to her, Caroline.' Adrienne replied, her tone harsh. 'She was almost beaten to death. A savage, brutal attack. It's a wonder the children survived. The attacker put the word _whore_ on her wall, I saw it myself. What she was labelled as by _all of you_... a home wrecker. What reason would she have to come back here?'

Caroline stared at her. 'Children? You mean... she had _twins?_ '

Adrienne swore under her breath.

Caroline gripped her arm. 'Please tell me!'

'Yes, twins.' Adrienne prayed Carly won't be furious when she found out.

Caroline pressed a hand to her trembling mouth. Another set of twins born into the family! 'Oh please you have to tell me about them... what their names, what are they like...!'

'No. No, no, no... I've said too much already.'

'Come on! They're Bo's children... I want to get to know them. All the more reason why you have to talk to Carly!'

'Carly will never bring them here, _never_. Why the hell should she expose them to the family who rejected her? I know I wouldn't.' Adrienne said bluntly. 'When they're old enough to understand, she'll tell them the truth and let _them_ decide. You want otherwise, you'll have to do all you can to convince her yourself.'

'Please talk to her for me, _please_.' Caroline pleaded, grabbing Adrienne's arm when she rose to go. 'I'm not too proud to beg. Please do this for me.'

Adrienne shook her arm loose. 'I'll pass on what you said. But don't expect her to simply shrug everything off that easy.' She had no plans of doing so though. Let them leave Carly and the twins in peace.

Caroline's heart sank. A woman in Carly's shoes definitely wouldn't. But she had to believe Carly would eventually find it in her heart to forgive the past.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

In one of the booths at _The Java_ , Bo sat across Abe's mother in law, Celeste Perrault. Her visit was her third one since Lexie's death a few years ago and on hearing she was in town, Bo wasted no time giving her a call. A well known psychic, her abilities had helped with police investigations in the past. Now Bo needed her help on a personal level. In her hand was a silk scarf Carly had left behind when she moved out of his house.

Running her slim fingers over the cloth, Celeste concentrated hard, her face going into an almost trance-like state.

'She's somewhere in the Pacific.' She said at last. 'A warm place. She's happy but there are some days she's touched by sadness. I see a lot of scars in her. But I also see her love for her children. Even for the first two who hurt her.'

Melanie and Nicky. The _first_ _two_ , she said. Does that mean... Carly had _twins?_ They have _two_ children? _Boys? Girls? One of both?_

Celeste's next words confirmed it, after he asked her. 'A son and a daughter. Very special _enfants_.'

 _A son and a daughter_. If Carly could choose a way to really punish him, it was this. They must be five years old by now and growing up far away from him. Was Carly ever going to let him know them? Bo felt a surge of anger then squashed it as shame set back in. After all, wasn't that _exactly_ what Carly wanted to tell him the day of her attack? If he'd met with her that day like she wanted him to, she would have told him she was pregnant. And she wouldn't have been attacked at all. How could he blame her?

Before he could say anything, Celeste frowned, gripping the scarf. 'Not good.'

'What?'

'She's coming back here soon. But I see danger.'

'What kind of danger?' he demanded harshly.

'It's not clear. But I sense someone wants to hurt her. An evil person... who hurt her before.'

 _The attacker._ Bo wondered frantically if Celeste might be able to give an exact name. But the psychic was unable to.

'He's filled with hate for her. He wants to hurt her again.'

'Not while I'm around. Not this time.' Bo vowed fiercely. Whoever it was will feel the darkest part of his wrath if he dared touch Carly again. 'She's really coming back?'

'Soon.' Celeste nodded.

'Did... did you sense if she and I...' he hesitated then went on, 'if we'll ever get back together?'

Celeste said nothing. Instead she reached for her oversized purse and brought out her pack of Tarot cards. Laying them out carefully, she asked him to pick a card, which turned out to be 'The Fool'. Celeste turned the next card beside an unturned card beside his, which turned out to be 'The Princess of Cups'.

Celeste then turned the card between them. ' _Two of Swords_ ,' she said softly, shaking her head. 'Inner conflict, on _both_ sides. She's hurt too bad to risk her heart again. As for you honey, what does _your_ heart tell you? You love Hope, but you keep thinking about the other one. Is it guilt or love talking?'

'I know what I feel for Carly.'

'Sure, but you're still where you chose to be.'

Bo ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. He thought Celeste's reading would give him answers but it only brought up more questions. He should have known matters of the heart weren't that easy to predict. 'I really made a mess of things.'

'You sure did, honey.' Celeste agreed solemnly. 'You made a lot of promises to that girl, but still tied to Hope. There's so much a girl like your Carly could take, suddenly seeing her man have a turnaround. Maybe she would've believed you did love her, if she didn't see what she saw.'

'What do you mean by that? Bo demanded.

Celeste held up Carly's scarf. 'I saw her terrible pain, when she watched you and Hope together, down at the docks. She saw and heard everything.' Her expression was now stern. 'You say she was understanding when she saw the signs and let you go. Don't mean she wasn't human too.'

 _Carly had seen them together. Saw and heard everything he said to Hope._ He could imagine her pain, disgust and huge sense of betrayal.

 _Go back to your wife and pretend nothing ever happened between us, because I'm trying to do the same thing!_

Bo cringed at the memory, still unable to believe he'd been so insensitive, acting as though her obvious pain had nothing to do with him, asking if Jennifer and Daniel dating bothered her... as if he hadn't hurt her enough.

'What am I supposed to do now?' he asked helplessly.

Celeste pressed the scarf back into his hand. 'Just one thing. Don't repeat your mistake.'

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'You wanted to see me?'

'Yes, yes... please come in Carly.' Dr Harrow, the Chief of Staff of the hospital, waved her in. Dr. Harrow immediately took Carly under his wing after she was accepted in the hospital. A man in his late sixties, he reminded Carly of her late mentor, Thomas Horton; the number of ways he displayed firmness, wisdom and kindness.

'I'll come straight to the point. You've been appointed to deliver one of the keynote speeches at the conference.'

' _Me?_ ' Carly gasped. The upcoming medical conference Harrow referred to was a prestigious annual event. The keynote speakers were usually award winners and the most influential medical minds in the country. 'Surely not!'

'Why not? That paper you got published was more than impressive and still being talked about. It's a deserved honour, Carly.'

'It is. An honour I mean sir. I just never imagined it would come to this, at all.'

'Well, it has and congratulations.' Taking an envelope from his drawer, he handed it to Carly. Inside were a letter and a formal invitation to her.

'I know you're going to make us all proud out there.' Harrow beamed. Seeing Carly's frown he asked anxiously. 'You're worried about the kids, aren't you?'

'Actually, yes. I've never been away from them before. They have school or I would've taken them with me.'

'Well if you like, Gloria and I will be more than happy to have them with us.'

Carly thought of the twins' nanny, Amanda, who stayed with them whenever Carly had to stay late at the hospital. The young woman was more than trustworthy but Carly felt Harrow's offer was a better one. 'If it's alright with Gloria, that would be great.' she said.

'It's settled then! Gloria's always moans over how far away our grandkids are, she'll be thrilled to have the twins over.'

Back in her own office, Carly read the invitation card, yet again. The conference was in Chicago, just a few hours away from the town she once loved and considered her home but now saw as cursed. So many bad things had happened to her there. Besides, someone she knew- like Daniel- would probably show up at the conference. As she thought about Daniel, she thought about Melanie. But her heart hardened as she remembered yet again how Melanie's so called love towards her was conditional. And as long as it was always going to be that way, there was no hope for reconciliation. Carly wasn't about to subject herself to any more pain from Melanie. It wasn't like she was all alone back in Salem; she has Daniel, Brady and naturally Maggie and the rest of the Bradys. As for Nicholas, whom Carly also missed, hated her. Lawrence was larger than life to him and no doubt, Vivian has been heaping more and more of her poisonous lies in Nicky's ears all this time. And there was Bo. At least he finally admitted that she was merely a temporary companion/lover until Hope decided she wanted to come back. He didn't even have to bother, what she'd saw and heard between him and Hope at the docks had told her enough.

Carly sighed, rubbing her forehead. She was obsessing again, what her therapist had warned her against. She had Ethan and Evangeline, her job and a great life here in Dededo. Bo and the events in Salem were bad memories. But she missed her older children, still loved them. Neither of them was responsible for the unfortunate circumstances that prevented her from raising them from birth. But since surviving the attack in her apartment, Carly Manning had long resolved not to make further excuses for them. If there ever was going to be a reconciliation, the initial step has to come from them.

Not her this time.

Slipping on the white coat, Carly began her rounds for the day.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Bo went over Celeste's ominous prediction for the umpteenth time. While he wanted to grasp the opportunity to see Carly and thrash things out with her at last, could he in good conscience allow her walk back to the danger that awaited her? _Someone wants to hurt her. An evil person... who hurt her before._

Bo sighed angrily. He didn't blame Frankie for being mad at him and the rest of the family, but if he hadn't been so unbending, the attack on Carly would've been thoroughly investigated. Whoever attacked her five years was in _still_ in Salem...and wanted to hurt her again. Celeste didn't specifically say the attacker was going to _succeed_. _I won't let him touch her again, whoever it is. I won't fail you again, princess,_ he vowed from the bottom of his heart.

 _He's filled with hate for her._

Bo could only think of one person who regarded Carly as his sworn enemy, but his depression, guilt and worry over Carly and their child had been so deep, he hadn't thought about confronting him. But on New Year's night, while talking with Melanie on Brady's roof, she'd told him about the scene in Victor's house and what Victor had said that provoked Marcus to hit him. Victor's never forgave Carly for defying him. But surely... surely his hatred for her didn't go to that extent. However... this was the same man who initially connived to harm Carly's secret child, until he found out the secret child was his son's bride- to-be.

 _Victor Kiriakis is capable of anything. He once tried to kill you, remember?_

The sound of the shower door opening cut through his thoughts. 'Hey there.' Hope crooned, discarding her robe and tossing it aside. Pressing herself against his wet body, Hope moved her hands down his chest, planting kisses against the side of his neck. Rather than getting aroused, Bo froze as once again his mind went back to that fateful day. The whole time they were making love, in _this very shower,_ Carly was being attacked... struggling and screaming under the vicious blows of her assailant, she and their unborn children left for dead. For a long time after Carly was taken away, Bo couldn't bring himself to be intimate with his wife. Marriage counselling somewhat helped with that but making love in the shower still revolted him, always remembering what he was doing the same moment some sick bastard was beating up his princess; her bruised, battered face vivid in his mind.

'Don't,' he snapped, pushing Hope's hands away. Startled by his attitude, Hope shrank back.

'Just... don't okay? I'm not in the mood right now.'

He could feel Hope's hurt eyes staring at his back but instead of the argument he was expecting, she left him alone, slamming the shower door behind her. Bo squeezed his eyes shut, angry tears mingling with the water raining on him.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 _Chicago_

After claiming her luggage, Carly stayed in the terminal. On receiving the invitation to attend the conference, she had emailed Marcus to ask if he was attending and he'd confirmed it, agreeing to meet at the airport.

Leaving the twins was hard on her, even though she knew they were in safe hands with Dr Harrow and his wife, Gloria. Their bright green eyes fell when she told them she was going away for a while, but they'd understood it had to do with her work, pleading with Mummy to come back home soon. She missed Ethan and Evangeline terribly already, the conference ahead of her feeling far more than just a week. And she felt like a fish out of water, returning to the States after all this time. Before the twins were born, Carly thought about returning to Tahiti or moving to Miami and live on the beach. But sheer paranoia over her assailant finding her there had nixed the idea. And Europe had never felt like home, not after her traumatic marriage, and she didn't want to run into old childhood playmates who would poke inquisitive noses into her business. Guam was a safe haven for her and her precious twins, no enemies lurking behind the bushes. And the last place Bo would think of looking for her, that is if he actually had the mind to.

The thought of Bo Brady brought backthe old aching bitterness in full force. Every word, kiss and caress... a lie, _all lies_. And how utterly naive and stupid she had been, believing they could finally have what they were cheated of in spite of his two decade marriage to Hope. But she'd truly believed Bo when he said he loved her _. I fell all over again_ , his very words to her as he held her in his arms.

 _Fool... Fool!_ Carly thought angrily, refusing to give way to tears this time, but suddenly feeling so alone; missing Ethan and Evangeline more than ever and longing for Marcus' comforting presence.

 _Washington D.C, five years ago_

' _Goodness Carly, you should be putting your feet up, not running around with heavy dishes... give me those.' Piper exclaimed, taking them from her._

' _Please take her away, man. Last thing we need is her collapsing on us.' Frankie said as Marcus firmly placed his hands on her shoulders and led her to the living room._

' _I'm pregnant you guys, not an invalid,' she protested. Her doctor's most explicit order since she was discharged from the hospital was plenty of rest. But she didn't feel helping her sister -in-law with Thanksgiving dinner was doing too much._

' _Adrienne and I got this, go!'_

' _Ugh...' she sank into the couch, smiling as Marcus placed a cushion behind her to rest her back and dragged an ottoman over to place her feet on. 'Thanks.'_

 _Marcus grinned, settling down beside her. 'So... let's see what we've got here,' he said, picking up the remote to scroll through the channels. 'That looks good,' she said when he found a period movie._

' _Damn it, it's some chick flick.' Marcus grumbled as the movie's opening credits appeared._

'" _The Age of Innocence" is hardly a chick flick, Hunter.' She retorted, batting his arm._

' _Why, you've seen it already?'_

' _I read the book in high school. Trust me, you'll love it.'_

 _Marcus shrugged. 'At least Daniel Day-Lewis' in it, now that's a real actor.'_

 _Five minutes into the movie, she pressed a hand to her mouth, suddenly feeling nauseous. 'You okay?' Marcus asked anxiously as she struggled to her feet._

' _I'm fine, just need to go to the bathroom.'_

 _Upstairs she threw up painfully, then washed her mouth and face. But as she was about to make her way downstairs, she clutched her enlarged stomach. Cramps. And her back felt really painful. She stumbled back into her bedroom, needing to lie down for a bit._

' _Carly? Honey... are you okay in there?'Piper's voice was anxious. 'Can we come in?'_

' _Sure.' Carly sat up, rubbing her back._

' _What's wrong?' Adrienne asked, following Piper into the bedroom._

 _Carly shook her head. 'I felt nauseous a while ago and my tummy and back felt funny. Oh no...' she gasped as a terrible pain came from her tummy._

' _Oh my God... she's in labour! We have to get you to the hospital!'_

 _Adrienne dashed down to inform the men while Piper soothed Carly, rubbing her back. 'Breathe... breath through the pain.'_

 _Carly tried to but another pain hit and then another, suddenly feeling something gush between her legs. She gasped , clutching Piper's arm._

 _Marcus hurried into the room, followed by Frankie and Adrienne. 'How far apart are the contractions?' he demanded, feeling her stomach, which was rock hard already._

' _Less than a minute... oh it hurts, help me!'_

' _Don't you worry sis... we'll get you to the hospital right now.'_

 _But Marcus shook his head, immediately noticing her damp skirt. 'Her water's already broke, she's not going to make it. Piper... clean towels, Frankie, call the paramedics.'_

' _Is she having the babies right now?' In the middle of her great pain, Carly could hear the panic in her brother's voice._

' _Yeah right now and I don't think you should be in here. Make the call and stay out.' Marcus ordered, hurrying into the bathroom to wash his hands._

 _Carly smiled faintly as her brother pressed a hasty kiss on her forehead before leaving the room. 'Oh my God.. this is happening now.'_

' _It sure is.' Piper beamed, placing the towels underneath her._

 _Carly patted Adrienne's hands which were rubbing her shoulders. 'I'm so glad you're here too, Adrienne.'_

' _Like I would miss this.' Adrienne laughed, her voice trembling._

 _Marcus came back and lifted her skirt, pushing her legs apart . 'Perfect... the baby's crowning already. Honey, now's the time to push.'_

' _Oh... you think?' Carly snapped, then screamed._

' _Come on Carly... push that baby out!'_

' _I'm trying... I'm trying to...' She pushed with all her might, Piper and Marcus encouraging her while Adrienne kept an iron grip on her shoulders. Rivulets of sweat rained down her face as she pushed and pushed, feeling the baby come out of her, accompanied by a loud hearty wail. 'It's a boy... you have a son Carly.'_

' _Oh my God... he's so beautiful!' Piper sobbed. Carly raised her head to stared at the squirming baby, smiling through her tears._

' _Okay, we're not done yet.' Marcus soothed. 'Let's bring out this little guy's twin now.'_

 _Within moments, her baby girl emerged and then came the sound of the doorbell ringing. Frankie came in with the paramedics, rushing over to welcome his nephew and niece while Carly tearfully kissed Marcus, thanking him over and over._

The loudspeaker suddenly announced the arrival of Flight 47 arriving from California. Several minutes later, Marcus was hurrying towards her, wheeling his luggage behind him and the two old friends exchanged hugs.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'I don't deny it. I did say it... because it's true. And it wouldn't have happened in the first place if that whore hadn't sunk her claws in you in the first place. She brought it all on herself.'

'She was carrying _my child_ at the time, Victor.' Bo said, his voice trembling with anger. 'And don't you pretend she doesn't have a name. Or that I'm not capable of defending her the way she deserves if you call her a whore again.'

'You can knock out my teeth if you want to,' Victor said sullenly, hiding his shock about Carly's pregnancy- which was news to him. 'I'm not saying anything different.'

'Okay, since you have no trouble confessing how heartless you are when Carly's concerned, is there anything you want to tell me?'

'Like _what?_ ' Victor snapped.

'Did you have anything to do with Carly's attack?'

'Get out of my house, right now.'

'Why don't you just make me?' Bo snarled. 'You're always out to prove you're man enough. Did you put out a contract on Carly... yes or no?'

'You've got a lot of nerve accusing me...'

'You had no problem planning my death over twenty years ago, didn't you?'

'And after all this time you bring that up to rub in my face, kudos!'

'Did you or didn't you?'

Victor sneered. 'Carly Manning's not worth swinging for, trust me. I got better things to do with my time. Unlike you, standing there accusing me of attempted murder.'

'Well I'm not prepared to rule you out just yet, Victor. Eventually I'll find out. And when I find proof, I will make you pay for what you did to her. Count on that.'

Glaring at him, Bo left the Kiriakis mansion.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'Dr. Manning's no longer with us, she resigned 5 years ago.'

'That long? Well, can you tell me where she's working now?'

'I have no idea young man, after she left her position she moved away. And you are...?' Maxine broke off when she saw Melanie walking up to them, overhearing the conversation. 'Mel here can probably tell you want you need to know. Excuse me.'

The first thing Melanie noticed about the tall, handsome young stranger was the pair of familiar green eyes, viewing her with suspicion. 'Who are you?' he demanded.

'You first.'

'I'm Nicholas Alamain.'

Silence.

'Well?' Nicholas demanded, wondering why the girl was looking at him that way, her face now very pale. 'Do you know where she is or not?'

Melanie swallowed. 'I don't know where she is.'

'Then it seems I'm merely wasting my time asking around! Why did that lady say you would know? Who are you anyway?'

'I'm Melanie Layton.' When the irritated expression on his face didn't clear, she added, 'I'm your sister... _Nicky_.'

Nicholas stared back at the girl, antagonism gone but was now at a loss for words.

Melanie added quietly, 'And obviously, we really need to talk.'


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

'You're going to blow them away with this.' Marcus said, after reading Carly's carefully prepared speech. 'This is really great.'

She'd told Marcus not to pull any punches if he had anything to criticise, and he'd promised to. 'You're sure?' Carly asked hesitantly, not wanting him to be biased out of affection towards her.

'Would _I_ lie to you, Manning?'

Smiling ruefully, Carly turned off the laptop. 'So, now what do we do?' An hour after their arrival at the hotel, they had attended the welcome lunch party, mingling with doctors of various fields and running into a few old acquaintances.

'The night's young, we could go down to the bar for drinks before dinner. Afterwards, what say we head down to the hotel's nightclub, shake a leg.'

'I haven't danced in lord knows when.'

'Don't mean you've forgotten how to.' Marcus winked, pinching her cheek. 'Maybe we could even do a number together, I hear they do karaoke on weekends.'

Carly made a face. 'I don't know about that, standing in front of several doctors tomorrow's bad enough, doing a cover of some seventies song in front of heckling strangers would be worse.'

'What would be worse is a dear friend of mine is too chicken to do "a cover of some seventies song in front of heckling strangers" when I know she's brave enough to do anything.'

Carly grinned, touched by the compliment. ' _Fine_. But if we go viral in a bad way, it's all on you.'

After Marcus left the room, Carly drew a hot bath and peeled off her clothes. She would rather stay in her room and read after dinner, but didn't want to disappoint Marcus. In Dededo, all her attention had been on work and the children; politely but firmly turning down dates. Marcus obviously didn't want her to keep remaining in her shell and he was right. Why should she keep hiding? Against her will, Carly remembered the last time she danced. Bo had taken her for dinner and afterwards, pulled her to her feet to the dance floor. She'd felt she was floating as she looked up at the warm brown eyes fixed on her face, feeling his hand caressing her lower back, the other hand clasped with hers; resting against his chest. And there was the _other_ dance, that even in her darkest moments of bitterness she could never forget.

The night wind blowing against her hair as she sat on the roof. Then hearing a song playing, she turned round... smiling in delight as Bo walked up to her, the song coming from Isabella's boom box. Bo kissing her hand before drawing her into his arms, no one else in that moment but the two of them as they moved in time to the music. He'd loved _her_ then.

Abruptly, she walked to the closet to pick out a dress.

:::::::::::::::::::::

'After I found out my father abused Mum for years and what he did with you after you were born, my fiancée called me all sorts of a fool, that I could have at least heard Mum's side of the story.' Nicholas told Melanie over coffee. 'Which is what I am, because I was too ashamed and proud to come over here and ask for forgiveness. Classic case of refusing to admit you were wrong. _I_ should've been here to protect Mum. I'm not proud of my actions, Melanie. I would give anything; do _anything_ to make things right with our mother, if I only knew where she is.'

'It's not point asking Adrienne or Uncle Frankie, they won't tell you.' Melanie replied quietly, shaking her head. 'At least Rafe's reason is because of her safety after what happened. But Adrienne and Frankie can't forget how we all treated Mum. It'll probably take five more years before she decides to finally forgive me.'

'Perhaps I can meet with Mrs. Kiriakis, convince her to help us.'

'Sure... Lawrence Alamain's son asking her for help? She'll throw you out of her house.'

'Well I can't face Emma and tell her I failed to find Mum. It's not just about getting Mum to forgive me. We want her to be at our wedding.'

'Oh, Nicky...' Melanie saw the raw emotion on her brother's face.

'I want her to know how sorry I am and want to start over. So, if I have to face Adrienne's disdain and wrath, so be it. I want my mother _back_ , understand?'

'Of course I understand, because it's what I want too.' Melanie reached out to tentatively take his hand and he immediately squeezed hers. 'And I hope... I hope we'll be able to have some sort of relationship from now on.'

Nicholas' face now wore a warm, softer look. 'I hope so too.'

Melanie smiled back. 'So, when's the wedding then?'

'Last day of the month.' Pulling out a wallet from his jacket pocket, he pulled out a photo, handing it over to Melanie. 'This is Emma. Emma Villiers. '

The smiling young woman in the picture was exotic; her sepia coloured complexion and intense blue eyes indicating she was biracial. 'She's French?'

'Half French. Her mother's Moroccan.'

'Oh.'

'She's a translator at the U.N. We've been together for two years now.'

Melanie handed the photograph back to him. 'She's very beautiful.'

'Thank you. What about you, anyone special?'

'Yeah. His name's Colin... he's a nurse at the hospital. He's been really wonderful these past five years. Speaking of who... hey!' she called, waving Colin, who just entered, over to their table. Colin hugged her tightly and planted a kiss on her mouth before turning to Nicholas.

'Baby, this is my brother Nicky.'

'Oh, really.'

'I know right? It was a surprise to me to me too.'

The two young men shook hands.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;;;;

' _Håfa ådai_ _Buenas_ , my loves. Here I am in Chicago and missing you both so much. I hope you're having a lovely time with Dr. Harrow and Gloria. Mind that Shadow doesn't get into trouble okay? Uncle Marcus's here with me.'

' _Håfa ådai_ kids! How've you been? Don't worry about your Mama, I'm taking great care of her.' Carly laughed as Marcus kissed her on the cheek.

'I don't know yet when I'll be coming over to visit next but I promise... you and your Mum here are always in my thoughts. And that's because I love you guys, remember that. Take of yourselves now, I'll send you something great. See ya.'

' _Ådios Esta Åsta,_ darlings. _Hu guiaya hao_... I love you both, very much.' Carly blew kisses before turning off her phone's camera, rounding off the video message she was sending to Harrow's Gmail account.

'You'll be back with them in no time, honey.' Marcus rubbed her shoulder consolingly, when he saw how pensive Carly looked.

'I know. I just can't help it... I miss them so much. You can understand that, considering I could have lost them that terrible day.'

'But you _didn't_. And they are growing up beautifully because of you. Nothing's going to stop you from being with them for many more years to come. It won't be like the first two times, okay?' He pulled her to her feet. 'Now come on and prepare to turn heads out there.'

Carly grinned, linking her arm with his as they left her suite and made their way to the elevator. 'I have a feeling you'll turn more heads than I do.'

'Oh, why's that?'

You do realise you're more than cute, right?' Carly's eyes skimmed down Marcus' outfit, a well cut black suit worn with a dark blue shirt, no tie. 'I've never asked you this old friend, but how did you get to be so cute?'

' I am _not_ a fluffy bunny, lady. I prefer 'dashing' than cute.' Marcus squeezed her nose affectionately. One of the things he'd always loved about Carly Manning was her lack of vanity; she either blushed at compliments or lightly brushed them off. After her long hospital stay, Carly opted to cut off all her hair and wore it short from then on. Right now, she looked exceptionally lovely in her black dress and double stranded pearls, the elegant layered pixie hairstyle with its diagonal bangs suited her perfectly, as it drew more attention to her cheekbones, neck and slanting green eyes. And as Marcus surmised, several men's heads turned, eyeing her appreciatively and giving Marcus- to his amusement- the envious stink eye.

'Told you.' Marcus chuckled.

'Sure... like you're immune yourself.' True enough, the women present were also giving Marcus the full blast of their admiration via covet smiles and coy winks.

'Cheers,' Carly clinked her glass with his after receiving their pre dinner drinks.

'Right back at you.' Marcus watched her carefully, like he usually did. If she still held some bitterness from her humiliation and ordeal, she hid it well. And he knew from experience how hard it was for his friend to do that, but then again, when it came to him she always poured out her heart about what she was feeling or thinking about. All through her stay at the hospital during her recovery, she'd confided in him- giving him more details than what he and Frankie had read in her journals. He'd held her hand tight and listened, sad and very angry on her behalf, wishing over again Frankie had allowed him to physically punish Bo like he wanted to- her brother or not. And Lawrence...just as well he was dead because Marcus would have hunted him down to avenge Carly. Brushing back his dark thoughts, he focused back on Carly, determined to give her a great evening.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

' 'If Adrienne wouldn't talk to you, what makes you think she'll listen to Nick?' Colin asked, after Nicholas excused himself to take a business call outside. 'Especially who his old man was.'

'I pretty much said the same thing, but else can we do? Besides, why are you being so negative about this?'

Colin took her hand, squeezing it. 'If your Mom really wanted to be found and be a part of your life again, she would've at least let you guys know where she is; not hide behind Adrienne Kiriakis, Rafe Hernandez and your uncle. _Five_ years, Melanie and she's still being cruel to you and your Dad and your brother. Don't you think you should give it a rest... and let her come back on her own?'

'I wish it was that simple, honey... but it's not. She's my mother and I want her back in my life as much as Nick does. We've got a lot of amends to make with her, please understand that. And if... if it's our turn to walk down the aisle,' flashing a loving look at Colin who grinned, 'I'd like Mom there too.'

'I do understand, honest.'

'Thanks. I love you Colin, so much. If it hadn't been for you all this time...'

Colin leaned forward to press a warm kiss on her mouth. 'We all make mistakes, Melanie.' He said, pulling away to brush a strand of reddish hair from her forehead. 'Unlike everyone else, I felt it wasn't fair you had to keep paying for it. There's nothing to thank me for.'

'All the same... I'm saying it. Thank you, Colin. Thank you for standing by me and loving me even though I was a really bad person.'

'You're not a bad person.' Colin held her tightly. 'And nothing will ever change how I feel about you.'

A polite cough behind them pulled them apart. 'All set, Melanie?'

Melanie got up, reaching for her purse. 'Yes, let's go see Adrienne.' She turned to Colin, who rose from his chair. 'Wish us luck.'

'You got it. Meet you back at the apartment.' Colin kissed her again and shook hands with Nicholas.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hope eyed the single red rose. 'Do you honestly think that this makes up for everything?' she asked, shoving it aside.

'Again, I'm sorry. I just haven't been myself lately.'

'Brady, you haven't been yourself for a very long time. Obviously the counselling's just a big waste of time because you've been either bottling up your emotions or taking it out on me. If you have something to say... just say it, damn it. In words, not flowers. A husband who doesn't find me repulsive.'

Bo winced at the raw hurt in his wife's tone. Since the shower incident, Hope shrank away from his touch. It was just as well. It was an attempt of making amends on his part but he knew he couldn't be intimate with Hope without thinking of Carly; he could no longer block the image of her bruised, battered face... her eyes looking at him with hate. 'I don't find you repulsive, Fancy Face. That's a rotten thing to say.'

'If it's not that, then what is it? Or should I say... _who?_ ' Hope glared at him. 'Carly and your child... that's who's really on your mind or you're going to say that I'm being ridiculous?'

'She could've died that day, don't you see? I have the right to know they are okay, that's all.'

'So that's it... you blame yourself! Why exactly, because you were with me ... because we were back together and she was alone? Hence, I'm to blame too right?'

'Of course not...'

'Say what you feel for once! Now it all makes sense, you blame yourself for being with me while it was happening... because you feel your real place was with her. Well guess what, you made your choice, you asked me to come home, you told me what happened with Carly was a mistake and that you loved _me_. What's the real truth here?'

'I do love you.' Bo said quietly.

'Maybe. But you're letting your guilt to affect our lives and I honestly don't know what to expect from you anymore. I just hope you eventually come to your senses and realise what you're doing.'

The bell rang and she moved to answer it, relieved at the unexpected distraction. 'Hi Hope.'

'Melanie, the next time you want to meet my husband, I'd rather you didn't do it in my house next time, got it?' Their alliance wasn't something she was thrilled about, knowing who their common interest was.

'Noted.' Melanie said coldly. 'Is Bo here?'

Hope made way for her and the tall handsome young man at her heels, who looked at her impassively. Although burning with curiosity, Hope refused to stick around, opting to go upstairs.

'Did we come at a bad time?'

'No, you didn't.' Pressing a kiss on Melanie's cheek, Bo turned to Nicholas, instantly recognising him, the resemblance to his father unmistakable now that he was an adult. 'Nicky. I wondered when you'll finally show up in Salem. A bit late in the day, don't you think?' he asked, ignoring Nicholas' extended hand.

Nicholas flushed and Melanie stepped between them. 'Bo, don't do this, please. Now's not the time to bring up what my brother did or didn't do. He came here to see Mom and I told him what happened. We're on our way to Adrienne's right now and we wondered if you could come along and help us get her to see reason for once.'

'Why exactly do you want to see Carly after all this time? You were perfectly okay leaving her at your sick father's mercy, weren't you?' Bo addressed Nicholas directly.

'Really... coming from you who made promises you absolutely had no intention of keeping?' Nicholas spat, angry at Bo's judgemental stance.

'I may have disappointed her, but at least I didn't hit her and hit her some more among other things.'

'Bo enough... ENOUGH! We're all guilty here okay? Just stop.' Melanie pleaded. Both men glared at each other, trying to hold back their tempers for Melanie's sake.

'Back to what I was talking about. Can you come with us to Adrienne and talk to her for us?'

' A waste of time, she won't listen; you should've known that by now. Besides, we don't have to ask her anything.'

Melanie and Nicholas' spirits lifted. 'Really?' Melanie grabbed his arm. 'You know where she is?'

'I don't. But I found out something about her and I was going to let you know about it. Sit down.'

The children listened carefully as Bo told them what Celeste foretold.

'So... Mom's coming back here soon...' Melanie whispered, her hands against her chest. 'And... Oh my God... we have a brother and a sister. They made it!'

Nicholas didn't believe in psychics but from what Bo said, this Celeste seemed the real deal and he didn't want to shatter Melanie's joyful mood.

'Then we have something more to look forward to,' he said, smiling faintly as his sister hugged him.

'Oh Nicky...' Melanie wept softly against his chest. 'She's coming back... at last!'

Bo clenched his fists, watching them. The only thing he left out was the rest of Celeste's prediction. _Someone wants to hurt her. An evil person... who hurt her before._ How can he tell Carly's kids their mother was walking back into danger? Just how?

Upstairs, Hope heard everything, her blood running cold. Carly Manning was returning to Salem. She had given Bo _twins_... a boy and a girl. What more was he hiding?

 _And where would she stand with him, once Carly came back into his life?_

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The audience gave a thundering round of applause as Carly and Marcus rounded off their rendition of Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye's 'You Are Everything.'

'Give us another song, another song!' was the general plea.

Grinning, Marcus turned to Carly. 'How about it?'

'I'm game if you are.'

'No... girl, _you_ give a song.'

'Not by myself!'

'If you can stand in front of several doctors tomorrow, you can do this.'

Bewildered, Carly stared at the beaming crowd who were chanting: 'Sing! 'Sing! 'Sing!' Sing!'

When she saw the next song's lyrics, she wanted to bolt off the stage. She couldn't sing it, not this one. But for some reason, maybe pride, Carly Manning forced herself to.

 _There was a time_

 _I thought you did everything right_

 _No lies, no wrong_

 _Boy I must have been out of my mind_

 _So when I think of the time that I almost loved you_

 _You showed your ass and I.. saw the real you!_

Carly gripped the mic, feeling a pain in her chest but continued,

 _Thank God you blew it_

 _I thank God I dodged a bullet..._

 _I'm so over you, so baby good looking out..._

 _I wanted you bad_

 _I'm so through with that_

 _Cause honestly you turned out to be the_

 _BEST THING I NEVER HAD_

 _You turned out to be the_

 _BEST THING I NEVER HAD_

 _And I'm going always be the BEST THING YOU NEVER HAD_

 _Oh I bet it sucks to be you right now..._

Like the talented singer who owned the song, Carly went through the painful lyrics to the final stanza:

 _I know you want me back..._

 _It's time to face the facts that I'm one that's got away_

 _Lord knows that it would take another place, another time, another world, another life... thank God I found the good in goodbye..._

 _I'm so over you, so baby good looking out..._

 _I so wanted you bad_

 _I'm so through with that_

 _Cause honestly you turned out to be the_

 _BEST THING I NEVER HAD_

 _You turned out to be the_

 _BEST THING I NEVER HAD_

 _And I'm going always be the BEST THING YOU NEVER HAD_

Only Marcus saw the tears pouring down Carly's cheeks as the audience gave her a rousing ovation, cursing himself for egging her on. If only he'd known he would have had the damned song changed. Ducking her head, Carly left the stage and Marcus hurried after as she ran through the exit.

'Carly honey... I'm so sorry! I had no idea...'

'Don't... it's not your fault.' Carly clung to Marcus as he enfolded her in his arms. 'I'll be alright. Just... hold me.'

Marcus obeyed, pressing his cheek against the top of her head.

'People say Time will heal wounds but I honestly don't know when mine will.' Carly sobbed. 'I wish there was a way I can really leave him behind... never thinking of him at all.'

Marcus held her in silence, patting her back. More than ever he felt protective of Carly, wishing over again he could completely remove her pain. 'It's okay, honey.' He said softly, bringing out a hanky to wipe her cheeks. Looking down at the beautiful face, Marcus suddenly had a strange feeling, the feeling of seeing Carly with new eyes and a new type of affection.

 _Could it be... after all these years? Am I falling in love with Carly?_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The first person Hope turned to the next day was Maggie, leaving nothing out. 'Carly's got no reason returning to Salem, except to get back at me especially.'

'You can't just assume that, honey.'

 _'Assume?_ Carly _hates_ us, but it 's pretty obvious who she hates more. But all Bo cares about are _Carly's_ twins and _her_. He was desperate enough to go to _Celeste_ for help, Aunt Maggie! What do you expect me to think?'

'I can only tell you to keep calm. Whatever reason Carly's coming here, it's not to "get back" at anyone.' Maggie said firmly. 'She's probably coming back to reconcile with Melanie, everyone knows they parted on pretty bad terms. And I hope they do, that poor girl's been really miserable without Carly.'

'And I should be reassured by that?'

'Yes _you should_ , because not everything's about you.' Maggie Horton Kiriakis' tone was mild but firm. It's no point looking at me that way, Hope. I say this because it's true and I'm not about to let you have another excuse to make yourself crazy.'

'I can't believe you're defending her like this.'

'What would you rather I do, honey... continue pretending it was Carly's fault your marriage was on the rocks in the first place?'

Something in Hope snapped. 'Why is Bo's _mistress_ the one being cloistered and his wife's being made to look the bad guy here? So, I made a mistake but she's the one who was sleeping with _my_ husband...on _our_ bed! Five years later and I'm _still_ paying for that mistake, with Frankie and Rafe blaming _me_ for her assault! And Bo blaming himself because ... because he was with _me_ when it happened! So, don't expect me to believe Carly doesn't have some ulterior motive up her sleeve and if it's a fight she really wants, she can bring it. I'll fight for my marriage, with everything I've got.'

Maggie shook her head, exasperated beyond words. But there was nothing she could do to curb her angry niece. She, as well as everyone else, thought the exact same thing when Carly first returned to Salem- that she wanted Bo back at all costs. No one gave her the benefit of the doubt, not even after the discovery of Melanie's paternity and conveniently laid so much blame on her and not Hope when Bo appeared very happy with Carly. They'd all accepted, except for Victor, that they hurt Carly very much. They weren't going to make the same mistake again, but clearly, Hope was yet to learn from her own.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Melanie's spirits were now lifted at the news of her mother 's return, certain Time has finally softened Carly's heart enough. And with Nicholas staying in town for a while, they both had a chance to make amends.

'At least I can finally give Emma some good news,' he said. 'Have you told Colin?'

'Colin was raised agnostic, he'll just laugh if I tell him. I'm sure what Celeste told Bo is real but at the same time, I really hope she's right. I mean... after all this time, I'm almost afraid of getting my hopes up. But I told Brady, he promised not to tell anyone else.'

Nicholas looked thoughtful. 'Do you suppose Bo has informed his wife?'

'I don't know. Why?'

'Well... given the drama that occurred here 5 years ago, I don't want Mrs Brady to make any sort of trouble for Mum.'

'Hope got Bo back, why would she want to give Mum trouble?'

'Please Melanie, I'm not a fool. The man's obviously still in love with her, you saw how he almost ripped my head off when we were at his house. And you've had a close relationship with him all this time, are you honestly going to tell me you aren't aware of his feelings?'

Melanie flushed, not wanting to betray Bo's confidence. She knew he still loved Carly but she was yet to know just why he let her go again. He clamped up, refusing to answer her question up on Brady's roof but she clearly saw the look of pain on his face.

'I don't know what his feelings are, it's sort of a closed subject.' She lied. 'But what I do know, he's been living with so much guilt these past years, Nick. He can't get past the fact that Mum was assaulted _after_ they broke up and she was _pregnant_. How do you think he feels, the twins growing up not knowing him?'

'Personally, I don't think he deserves them having anything to do with him.' Nicholas replied, his tone harsh. 'He didn't waste any time judging _me_ , when he was the one who left her pregnant and alone, after leading her on! Bo Brady's the one who deserves Mum's forgiveness the least.'

'Don't _say_ that.' Melanie pleaded. 'It was years before you found out who your parents were, the same with me. The twins deserve to know who their father is and he badly wants to know them, and make amends with Mum... _and_ Uncle Frankie.'

'That's all, _just_ amends?'

'Just amends.' Melanie insisted, even though she had no idea if that was really Bo's intention.

'Whatever. It better not be more than that or Commissioner Brady's going to see just how much of a protective son I am this time.'

Melanie winced at his tone and was about to speak when she suddenly waved. 'Hi, over here.' Turning to Nicholas she added, 'it's about time you two met. Brady Black, Nicholas Alamain.'

Brady was the first to extend a hand to Melanie's brother, whom she'd already told him about. 'Pleased to finally met you, Nick.'

Nicholas shook hands with him, liking Melanie's friend already.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 _Chicago_

The calm and controlled woman at the podium gave the conference's keynote speech with perfect aplomb and rounded off to a thunderous round of applause. Carly smiled faintly at the gathering, her smile widening a bit on seeing Marcus among them, clapping as well; a look of pride and affection on his face. Dear Marcus, her rock. He'd led her back to her room after consoling her, urging her to get a sound's sleep and not think about Bo. She'd felt angry with herself for going all to pieces because of that stupid song... _and_ Bo. _I'm not weak_ , she kept reminding herself. _I'm a survivor._

'You were great up there, honey.' Marcus kissed her on the cheek as soon as she was able to tear herself away from the enthusiastic crowd.

'Thanks, at least that part's over.' Carly replied, relieved. 'Two more days and I'll be home with my babies.'

Marcus placed his arm around her waist as they walked out of the hall to the massive dining room where a lunch buffet was waiting for all of them. He was yet to define what he now felt for Carly and if he was willing to take it beyond friendship. Even if he _was_ sure, will Carly be willing to?

 _What am I thinking?_ He thought. _The last thing she wants right now is romance and certainly not with someone she considers a brother... who considers her his sister. But her happiness is important to me, I want to protect her every day of her life. And I love the twins like they're mine. What do I really feel for her right now?_

Carly looked up from filing her plate with salad to smile at him and Marcus found himself lost in her vivid green eyes. There was _definitely_ a vibe going on within him.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 _Back in Salem... 11.30 p.m_

The two Salem Inn receptionists at the desk and a few guests milling around jumped in fright at the sound of shots fired. Rushing outside, the security guards found Nicholas Alamain sprawled on the steps, bleeding profusely.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The sound of the phone ringing on the small table beside her bed woke Carly up. Blinking, she stretched out a hand to answer it. 'Hello?'

'Good morning Dr Manning.' came the voice of the receptionist. 'My apologies for the disturbance but you have a phone call from a Ms Adrienne Kiriakis, she says it's very urgent.' Carly sat up. 'Put her on.' Adrienne must have found out from Harrow she was in Chicago when she couldn't get hold of her at the house. But what was the urgency?

'Carly, thank God! I'm so sorry to tell you this, but something terrible has happened. It's Nicky... he was shot last night, just outside the Salem Inn.'

Carly couldn't believe what she was hearing. 'My God...' she whispered, gripping the receiver. 'Is he alright?'

'He got through surgery but he hasn't regained consciousness yet.' Adrienne paused then continued quietly, 'he was shot several times, once in the head.'

Carly felt like she was going to be sick.

'Carly? Carly... are you still there?'

'I'm... I'm here, Adrienne.' Carly gulped, forcing herself not to break down.

'I had no idea he was even in Salem until Melanie called me. So far, the police think... hold on, Rafe wants to talk to you.'

'Hi Carly.'

'Rafe, do you have any idea who did this?' Carly demanded.

'So far, no. We've got no witnesses and it looks like it may have been a robbery gone wrong. But it also looks like the shooter didn't have enough time to take much. Your son's wallet still got a lot of cash in it besides some credit cards, but his watch was missing from his wrist, Melanie swore he had on a gold Rolex.'

'Wait, how the hell would Melanie know that?'

'From what she told us, Nicholas arrived town a few days ago to look for you and found her instead. Will you be coming over?'

'Uh yes... I will, on the first available flight. But... please don't tell anyone I'm coming. Just... don't say anything about me, okay?'

'Whatever you want, Carly. See you soon. And I'm really sorry about all this.'

'Thank you, Rafe. See you soon.'

Rafe gave the phone back to Adrienne and they spoke briefly before saying goodbye. Carly's hand shook as she replaced the receiver, fear for her son gripping her, along with confusion. Nicky came looking for her in Salem... _why?_ The last phone conversation between them ended with him disowning her for good. What did he want from her, a reconciliation or pass more recriminations over Lawrence's death? Either way, he was lying in the hospital seriously injured, she couldn't go back to Dededo without seeing him or find out who shot him. Somehow, she managed to get dressed and amble to Marcus' room across the hall.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

At Salem University hospital, Nicholas Alamain was hooked to monitors, breathing hollowly through a respirator. One bullet had nicked a kidney, another almost penetrated his skull while another had come dangerously close to his spine. Daniel and another surgeon had done all they could to save him, as he also lost a lot of blood. 'Your brother's a fighter,' He assured Melanie who had hardly left his side. 'You've got to stay positive, honey.'

Colin, Brady and Maggie did their best to console her but it was in Bo's arms Melanie broke down, still in shock over Nicky's shooting. She hadn't known her brother long but he was the only other blood relative she'd come in contact with since Carly's long absence.

'I still don't understand... why would a mugger just shoot him again and again like that?' she asked tearfully.

 _That's exactly what I want to know,_ Bo thought grimly. Pushing back his resentment towards Nicholas Alamain, he was reminded that this was Carly's son, the little boy Vivian kept from her out of sheer spite and hatred for years. The same little boy who reached out to him during the dark time they thought they lost the woman they both loved. The little boy, now a man, who came all the way to Salem to make peace with his mother.

 _His mother._

Celeste foretold Carly's return but never said one of her older children would be the reason for her return to Salem in the first place. Only Nicky's Rolex was taken, according to Melanie who went through his things while he was being operated on. The mugger apparently had no time to steal his other valuables, the thick wad of cash in his wallet, his Samsung cell or the silver signet ring he was still wearing on the finger of his right hand when he was found.

 _An evil person... who hurt her before. He's filled with hate for her. He wants to hurt her again._

Was Nicky's shooting _really_ a mugging gone wrong?

At the mention of his name, he let go of Melanie and walked up to Caroline who clutched his arm.

'How's Nicky?' she asked in a hushed voice. 'I heard about it in the news.'

'He made it through surgery but Daniel said he's fallen into a coma. It would be a while before he wakes up.'

'Oh... _poor boy_. I had no idea he was in town. Did he come to find Carly?'

'Yeah, he did, he came over to the house with Melanie.' Bo replied quietly. 'Adrienne or Rafe's probably told her by now.'

Caroline's worried face lifted a little. 'Oh. Do you think... she'll come?'

'Nicky's got a lot to answer for where Carly's concerned, but she won't turn her back on him. He's her son for god sake.'

'Are things really that bad between them?'

Bo turned away, bitterly reminded just how his own mother and the majority of Salem didn't give a damn to find out about Carly's unhappy marriage, instead labelling her the troublemaking 'other woman' who murdered her husband after cheating on him. Lawrence's abuse and Nicky's abandonment was nonexistent to all of them. _He_ knew... but ended up failing her.

'Bo...' Caroline prodded.

'I'd rather not talk about it with you right now, Mum.' He said, a tad harshly. 'Excuse me, I need to make a call.'

He badly needed to talk to Roman.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hope marched into Roman's office. 'Why didn't you let me work the Alamain case?' she demanded.

'Because I already assigned Rafe and Alejandra,' Roman replied calmly.

'Why _them_?'

'They are more than competent detectives.'

'We both know the real reason here. After all my years in the force, my objectivity is being questioned and I find that unfair. The fact the victim is her son doesn't mean I'm incapable of doing my job.'

'You couldn't mention Carly by name just now and you stand there accusing _me_ of questioning your objectivity?'

Hope cursed silently, mortified by her blunder. 'Listen, It's not what you think...'

'No Hope, _you_ listen. One, I'm the Commissioner, I'm not exactly ecstatic when my command decisions suddenly get questioned. Two, Carly's probably on her way down here as we speak, and the last thing we all want is having her deal with _you_ investigating her son's shooting.'

'I'm _not_ responsible for what happened to Carly.' Hope said hotly, defending herself for the umpteenth time. 'And I can't believe you're still siding with Frankie and Rafe on this; you of all people, Roman.'

'I 'm not siding with anyone. But Carly left Salem, _mad_ at all of us and with good reason. Having you as the investigating officer in this case will just be a slap in the face to her. I'm standing by my decision and that's the end of it.'

'And Bo knows about this?'

'He knows and agrees with me.'

'Of course he does.' Hope said resentfully, 'of _course_ he does. Put the wife in a corner over a _groundless_ accusation. Thanks a lot, Roman. Maybe I should simply disappear altogether, until _Lady_ Alamain decides to blame somebody else.' She left the office, slamming the door hard behind her.

Bo came in several minutes later. 'What's up?' Roman asked, thinking Hope had vented her fury on him as well, from the grim look on Bo's face.

'Something's really bothering me about Nicky's shooting. And there's something you've got to know.'

Roman listened as his brother told him about Celeste's prediction and the nagging feeling he felt.

' Something's really wrong here, Ro. Not just what Carly's walking into, but the reason she's coming back. It sort of seems staged, like somebody giving Carly a reason to come to Salem.'

'Carly couldn't stay mad at Melanie forever either, Bo. True the girl gave her a rough time but she was bound to come back to see her some time. Who would want to trick Carly into coming back here?'

'The same son of a bitch who almost beat her to death, that who.' Bo replied, his hands balled into fists, vividly remembering Carly's banged up swollen face and arm in a cast.

'That's pretty far-fetched, Bo. The _same_ attacker? If it's true, why Nicky and not Melanie? He could've hurt her in some away to bring Carly back way before now.'

'I've been taking care of Mel since Carly left, remember? He probably knows that.'

'But what would be his motive to hurt Carly again?'

'He almost _killed_ her five years ago, Roman. He obviously wants to finish what he started.' Bo paced the room, agitated. 'What the hell can I tell Mel, that her mother's walking into a trap, and maybe the same attacker was the one who shot her brother just to get Carly back here?'

' Little brother, I think you really need to calm down here.'

'I should've told Melanie the rest of Celeste's prediction. If anything happens to Carly _again_ , I don't know what I'll do. And Nicky's lying in the hospital right now because I didn't say anything.'

'Stop it!' Roman said, sternly. 'I'm not about to listen to you pile more blame on yourself like this, enough already. And you're getting way ahead of yourself.'

'I just know the same bastard who beat her up shot Nicky, I just know it is.'

'It could still be a damned coincidence!' Roman insisted. 'Celeste told you she was coming back, but not _why_. Just Nicky's watch got swiped, so it's still possible we're dealing with a crazed mugger whose brain was so fried he was more focused on shooting his target than robbing him. That's what Rafe and Alejandra are going to find out. As for Carly, we can arrange for protection if you want.'

'I'll handle that myself, thanks.' Bo replied, not pleased his brother refused to believe him. He knew he was right, and whoever was behind all this will pay dearly. In the meantime, he needed to talk to Celeste again as soon as he's able to.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

A few hours later...

Adrienne held Carly in a tight hug. 'I didn't know you'll be coming too.' She said, hugging Marcus as well, receiving a kiss on the cheek from him.

'No way I was going to let Carly come alone,' Marcus said firmly. Once Carly gave him the bad news about Nicky, he'd insisted on flying to Salem with her. Carly had called Frankie before they set off for the airport. More than relieved she wasn't going back to 'that cursed town' solo, her brother told her to keep him posted on Nicky's condition.

Adrienne couldn't help but notice the way Marcus had his arm around Carly's shoulders and definitely not in a brotherly, platonic way. _Interesting_ , she thought. Carly didn't seem to notice, her face looked strained from worry.

'I'm really sorry about Nicky, especially with the longtime situation between you two.'

'He belonged to Lawrence and Vivian more but he's still my son, regardless.' Carly replied quietly. 'Do you mind us going to the hospital right now?'

'Of course not, sure.'

Marcus took hold of their cases, while Adrienne took Carly's arm, leading them out of the terminal to her car outside. All through the drive, Carly said nothing, staring numbly at the town she once loved.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bo watched impatiently as Celeste went through her tarot cards, unable to read anything further from Carly's scarf other than what she told him. Nicky's signet ring told her nothing because she sensed the owner's disbelief in psychics.

'Well?'

Celeste shook her head regretfully. 'I can't tell just yet, honey. You're going to have to be patient.'

'I can't afford to wait, I need to know if I'm right about this. And I feel sure I am... I can't let this bastard come anywhere near Carly again.

'I'll do my best, I promise.' Celeste assured him. 'In the meantime, you keep an eye on her as best as you can.' She suddenly glanced at Carly's scarf and picked it up again, closing her eyes. 'And your work's already begun.' She opened them. 'She's here.'


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Carly kept a tight grip on Marcus' hand as they made their way out of the elevator with Adrienne, her heart beating with dread. The last time she returned to Salem- and to this hospital- after so many years of torture, she'd felt like a prisoner savouring the joy of being home at last. After five years of peace in Guam, she now felt like an alien in a new land. The familiar sterile surroundings seemed to close in on her, and she longed to turn tail and leave it all behind her, and fly back to safe Dededo where Ethan and Evangeline were waiting for her.

Before Carly knew what was happening, she was suddenly surrounded by nurses and other former colleagues, who shook her hand or hugged her, exclaiming how happy they were to see her again. Maxine enveloped her in her large arms and Carly held back tears as she hugged the motherly Head nurse back, exchanging greetings with everyone and introduced Marcus to them.

' We've really, really missed you.' Maxine said emotionally, still holding Carly's hands. 'Where've you been all this time?' she probed, one appreciative eye on Marcus before turning back to Carly. 'We heard what happened but Dr Carver then told us you weren't coming back. Did the board eventually force you to resign?'

'No... it was a personal decision.'

'And I can only imagine the reason.' Maxine said, her tone suddenly hard as she remembered Melanie and Daniel's shocking nastiness towards Carly when she was slammed with a query.

'If you don't mind Maxine, I really don't want to talk about it.' Carly said hastily. 'It's great seeing all of you again, really... but I'm here to...'

'Carly.' Daniel exclaimed, hurrying forward, unable to believe Carly was finally there. The crowd immediately dispersed, Maxine squeezing Carly's shoulder.

Daniel moved closer to hug her but Carly swiftly sidestepped him, refusing to let him touch her. 'How's Nicky? Is he awake now?'

He raised an eyebrow. 'Aren't you even going to say hello after five years at least?'

'Please drop the fake sentiment, I'm not here for a fucking reunion.' Carly snapped. 'Is my son awake or not?'

'Not just yet, he's still in critical condition.' Daniel said stiffly, finding it wiser to back off, for the moment. 'This way.'

Silently applauding her for the way she handled herself, Marcus took Carly's arm, he and Adrienne following. In ICU, Carly stared at the still form of her son on the bed, unconsciously clutching at her throat. He was in a coma but at least there was brain activity and his other vitals looked constant, according to the monitors.

'A bullet came close to his spine but we managed to get it out, we're positive he won't lose the use of his legs.' Daniel explained quietly. 'The shot in the head, no permanent damage... the bullet didn't penetrate. His chances of recovery are fairly high, Carly.'

Carly nodded. 'Thank you, I know you did all you could for him.' She moved closer to the bed and tentatively reached out to touch Nicholas' shoulder. Even in his condition, he felt like a stranger to her, mostly due to their long estrangement. But she wasn't angry and hurt right now, just sad. Maybe he'd come to Salem to look for her, but she didn't know what to expect from him when he wakes up and if there was actually anything to mend between them. As though reading her thoughts, Marcus slipped his arms around her from behind and she held on to them, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Daniel fidgeted, feeling like an outsider. The woman he shared a child with was now like a cold stranger, their past close friendship now seemed a lifetime ago. Still feeling sore at the way Carly spoke to him earlier, he realised she hasn't asked about their daughter. Any grudge Carly still held towards him, he could handle and work out with her eventually. But he hoped she held none for Melanie who waited five agonising years for a reconciliation, he needed to know Carly has at least forgiven their daughter.

'Look, why don't you go and grab something and come back later. You look tired.' He said gently.

Marcus agreed. Carly had taken nothing but coffee before they set off for the airport and only a glass of water on the plane. 'Yeah, let's go, Carly.' He said, firmly moving her out of the room, Adrienne following. Daniel followed as well, watching them silently. Carly looked like she was in a trance, leaning on Marcus Hunter who was still holding her around the waist in a possessive manner. Without amusement, Daniel wondered what Bo would make of it.

'We'll grab something from _The Java_ ,' Adrienne said, not liking the pallor on Carly's face. 'Come on.'

'Melanie's going to be so glad you're back Carly, as I am.' Daniel said, unable to stop himself, wanting to see her reaction.

What he got was an impassive expression on Carly's face but a noticeable tightening of her lips. Then to his dismay, she turned away, allowing herself be led towards the elevators.

It was now clear to Daniel. Carly was yet to forgive Melanie. And probably every single person who wronged her.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 _She's here_.

Bo had waited five years for this day. The only trouble was... what to say to her. _What do you say to a woman you betrayed?_ He thought miserably, as he stared at the old picture of them he still carried in his wallet. For the first time in his life, Bo Brady was completely indecisive. What the hell was he going to tell her? How was he going to approach her?

 _If you want to hate me, Carly, you might as well keep hating me but it won't change the situation. Don't call me again._

He still couldn't believe he uttered those selfish, _cruel_ words to her. He still couldn't believe he hung up on her, after refusing to hear what she had to say... that she was carrying their children. For a long time, it had haunted her how she was unable to tell Daniel about Melanie for so many years; even though she'd done it to save his life and Melanie's. He was the one who told her she did the right thing. But like the cruel bastard that he was, he robbed her of the chance of telling him she was carrying _their son and daughter_ \- the children they longed so much to have but never came- when they were together the first time around. Now Carly was back, and he was yet to decide what to say to her after what he allowed happen to her.

She had loved him. She had _trusted_ him.

 _'_ _It never entered my mind that you and Hope wouldn't be together. Or that you would take me in.'_

 _'_ _You needed someone; I needed someone... it kinda worked out that way.' He replied, his arm resting around Carly's shoulders, revelling being close to her._

 _'_ _Well, that was the turning point for me. When Vivian got here I wanted to say to her... just do it, I'm so sick of fighting you! And then I think of you... what it was like to come home and find you there...' grinning she moved that lovely face closer, green eyes twinkling, 'and keep fighting you.'_

 _'_ _Well, that was Vivian's mistake, going after Melanie. It brought you two closer.'_

 _Carly made a wry face, obviously remembering her chaotic journey with Melanie. He was glad to see how the headstrong girl now got along with Carly. But he was even gladder that his princess had the opportunity of being a mother to her daughter after the lost years. She nodded in agreement when he said so to her._

 _'_ _Yes. I have you and I have Melanie.' She slipped her arms around his neck. 'Who would have thought that life could be so sweet?'_

With shaking hands, Bo slipped the picture back into his wallet, tucking it back into his inner coat pocket. Indecisive or not, he knew what he wanted. First, he had to find out where she was at the moment. Pulling out his phone, he called Daniel.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'You guys are going to stay with me while you're here. Luckily I have another spare room and I don't want to hear one word about you imposing.' Adrienne said as they sat at _The Java_. Between them, Carly was made to eat something, and a little colour was back on her cheeks. Once the shock of seeing Nicky looking so helpless on the hospital bed wore off, Carly was now anxious for his recovery.

Her eyes scanned the familiar coffee shop. It was more modern in decor compared to the Brady Pub, who leaned towards traditional country style and nothing much has changed, except the colour of the walls and a few more pictures. When they were still a couple Bo brought her here a few times, but mostly they had coffee and lunch at his family's Pub. Even with Caroline 's disapproval, she'd felt more at home there and Bo's protective presence more than made up for anything she had to endure. It was a different story when it was all over. But back when it was the Brady Fish Market, she'd loved that place and the people who owned it.

 _Who would have thought so many things would change?_ She thought bitterly, toying with her fork.

'More pie?' Marcus asked Carly.

'No, no more. Thanks.' Carly smiled faintly. 'If I eat another slice I probably won't be able to get up from this chair.'

Marcus and Adrienne chuckled.

'And how's my godson and goddaughter by the way?'

'They're great, Adrienne.' Carly's smile grew wider. 'They send their love.'

Adrienne grinned. 'They make me feel broody, you know. Almost wish I was a new mom again.'

'I'm so lucky to have them. And I miss them so.' Carly replied wistfully. 'When Nicky recovers, maybe he could fly back with me to recuperate and meet the twins.' She sobered, thinking of her son.

'Nicky's going to be okay, Carly.' Adrienne said, sensing what she was thinking.

'Why did he come to Salem in the first place?'

'He probably finally realised he needs you,' Marcus said gently.

' _Needs_ me? Does that mean he knows and accepts why I did what I did?'

'You had no other choice, with everything you went through and what he was going to do to your daughter.' Marcus couldn't bring himself to mention Melanie by name. 'Maybe somehow Nicky decided to forget the past and come find you. Vivian could spread her poison all she wants, but whether she likes it or not... _you_ are his mother.'

'If Nicky really came for that reason, then we can probably start afresh after all these years. I never thought he would come round but I hope he has, I really hope so.' Carly whispered.

Adrienne wondered if Carly was right and for her sake, she hoped so too. At least she will have her firstborn back. Melanie was a different matter. Every time Melanie came to her in tears, begging her to tell her where her mum was, Adrienne always saw Carly's own tears and near mental breakdown over Melanie and Daniel's abandonment. Carly should have gotten some emotional support from them after her very painful breakup from Bo but instead, got even more hurt, hence Adrienne 's refusal to say anything. It was up to Carly if she wanted to reconcile with her daughter, but Adrienne was definitely going to make sure that wilful girl did n't do anything to upset her.

'You want to head over to my place now, get some rest?' she asked, touching Carly's hand. 'You can go back to look in on Nicky tonight and besides, Daniel would call if there's any change. There's little you can do for him right now.'

'Adrienne's right.' Marcus agreed.

'No, I want to go back and sit with Nicky for a while. You can drop me off and I'll call a cab later.'

'No way you're going anywhere by yourself, not while I'm around.' Marcus said firmly. 'I'll go back and sit with you.'

'You won't be allowed to and besides, I'll be surrounded by people. I'll be fine. And I'm not a child.' She took the sting off her words with a small smile. 'Nothing's going to happen to me.'

Marcus knew Carly long enough to remember she really hated being treated like a damsel in distress or people making decisions for her. But his strange feelings towards her lately made him feel he had more say when it came to her wellbeing. 'It's not just that, I don't want you facing Hope or any of the Bradys by yourself.'

Carly scoffed, 'I'm not about to hide behind anyone because of Hope or her family. And I don't have any reason to explain myself to her if I do run into her. Let them all do their worst.'

Bo pulled up outside _The Java_ , in time to see Carly walk out of the coffee shop, accompanied by Adrienne and-to his surprise- Marcus. Her hair was sun-bleached and a lot shorter; jeans tucked into brown leather boots and a camel shawl collar coat to ward off the February chill. No trace of that terrible ordeal on that lovely tanned face. Bo felt his heart fill again with painful yearning and regret as he sat watching her chatting with Adrienne.

Determinedly, he got out of the car and went up to them. He had to face her eventually. 'Princess.'

The three turned to look at him. Adrienne rolled her eyes while Marcus scowled at him. But Bo only had eyes for Carly who stared back at him, frozen. At first. Then she removed her hand from Marcus' arm and went up to him, not speaking. The green eyes that once looked at him with warmth and love were now two green chips of ice. She looked at him hard, as though trying to read his mind.

Then she slapped him soundly across the face.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

'Mum's here already? Why the hell didn't you call me?'

On getting to the hospital to begin her shift and again look in on her brother, Melanie immediately noticed strange looks on the faces on some of the medical staff and a few orderlies as she walked by. Which immediately told her something was up because it was the same look she endured for a long time after Carly's resignation. Hence, her search for Daniel to find out what the hell was going on.

'It wasn't something I could tell you over the phone,' Daniel placated.

' _So, where_ is she now? Did she come alone or with Uncle Frankie?'

'No, Marcus Hunter flew in with her, they stepped out for a while. Apparently, they were in Chicago, at that medical conference I wasn't able to go to.'

Melanie winced, remembering how much Marcus disliked her. But what was more important was her mother's return. 'So why couldn't you tell me over the phone?'

Daniel placed his hands on her shoulders, carefully choosing the best way to explain to her. 'Listen to me, honey. I think it would be best if you gave her some space right now. Because...' he paused and went on, 'Carly hasn't forgotten what happened. '

'You mean...?'

'I'm afraid so.' He said quietly. 'I know it's hard to hear but it's really the best thing we can do, at least for now.'

Melanie turned away to hide the trembling of her lips, hopeful visions of a joyful reconciliation suddenly dashed. Somehow she didn't think her mother would still be unbending, not after all this time. 'She must really hate me then.'

'Come on, Carly doesn't hate you.'

'Yes she does.' Melanie turned back to face Daniel. 'And why not? Right from the beginning she was the one who was always patient and forgiving, no matter what I did or said to her. And now I've lost her for good, because I finally took things too far. I drove her to her breaking point, just when she was just trying to deal with losing Bo.'

'You really need to stop talking like that. Carly _loves_ you. She stayed with that bastard in the first place just to keep you safe all those lost years. She did it to save your life. She's still angry and hurt, and upset about Nicky; so the best thing we can do right now is give her some space for now, like I said and don't rush her. Okay?'

Melanie gulped. 'All this time…waiting to hold my mother… to tell her I love her and how sorry I am, and I have to still keep my distance? How do you expect me to do that?'

'I didn't say it's going to be _easy_ , Mel.' Daniel said gently. 'But it's the best option. Otherwise, things will likely end up with Carly leaving town with nothing resolved between you two and we definitely don't want that. Just trust me on this.' Holding her close, he kissed her on the forehead.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 _'Don't marry Bo. If you do, you'll regret it. He's not right for you Katarina; you know he's not.'_

 _'It's *Carly*, and I know you don't choose to accept that but that's the way it is. Why don't you just get it through your head Lawrence... I don't care about the past, I don't care about you anymore, you mean nothing to me.'_

 _'But you were happy with me...'_

 _'With the illusion *you* created!'_

 _'No, with me! With the real me. You knew me like no one else, before or since.'_

 _'Why are you doing this to me now, why after all these years?'_

 _'Because I love you! Because I still do.'_

From the backseat of the cab taking her back to the hospital, Carly stonily stared out the window. She never told Bo about that conversation, confidently knowing who her heart belonged to. Lawrence's criticism about Bo that night were the words of a bitter and jealous ex at the time, but now Carly couldn't help but feel it had been more of an ominous foreshadowing.

 _That's the attraction to Brady, he doesn't have scars, not like me. But he's not like you either, Katarina and he never will be. He'll never be able to make you happy. Oh, he'll try... that much I'll admit to, but he'll never be able to pull it off because he doesn't really know you. Not like I do._

Had their first split been simply because of the drug-induced amnesia- her mind going back to 1983, when she was in love with 'James'- or because their deep connection simply got broken, along with their love?

What other reason did their breakup have such an unnatural ending- her willingness to stay with Lawrence even after she got her memory back and Bo letting her go without a fight. Neither of them ever saw such a thing happening to them, not after all they went through just to be together, after Bo finally got over his fear. But still, he would have probably left her to be with Hope if they'd still been together when she came back. Remembering his deep grief for her, Carly was convinced that would have happened. Besides, their second split had made it loud and clear that what they had was definitely not the same as what he had with Hope. And seeing him again, hearing him call her by that old pet name had sent her into such a rage and mixed emotions that she had been unable to control herself. Her hand was still shaking from its sharp contact with his cheek.

Lawrence had broken her body.

Bo had broken her heart, and more.

'S.U. hospital, ma'am.' The cab driver said, bringing her back to the present.

Carly paid him and got out, forcing herself to be composed as she walked back up the steps. Shaken by her encounter with Bo, she'd wanted to be alone for a while, hence refusing to let Adrienne drop her off as earlier planned. Nicky and his recovery was her main priority; which reminded her she must call Rafe first chance she got, to find out how far the investigation was going. And… she reminded herself yet again, to keep as far away from Bo and his family- _both_ his families- as far as possible. Even though there were many things she would have liked to say to a few of them. Especially Hope Williams Brady, the real architect of her suffering. Oh… what she greatly longed to say to her, every single thing she thought of her, along with what she bitterly blamed her for.

Carly immediately felt disgusted with herself. Just when she'd vowed to make her son's recovery her priority, she was allowing the thought of that woman get to her already. Her therapist had taught her how to deal with such thoughts and easily cast them away. It was all because she was back in this cursed town.

She turned a corner and almost ran into someone. 'I'm so sorry,' she stopped short at who it was.

Kayla Johnson felt herself flush at the look of utter contempt on Carly's face, the icy glint in those green eyes. 'Carly…' she managed to say. 'Oh my God… hi.'

Stony Silence.

'So, how… how have you been?'

'I still have my license and a job, unfortunately for you.'

Kayla lowered her eyes. 'I guess I asked for that.'

Carly really felt like hitting the bitch as well, but held her rage down as she sidestepped her and walked towards the elevators.

Kayla spoke fast, following her. 'Carly, wait… give me a chance to talk to you.'

Carly walked on.

'Listen, I don't expect you to forgive me anytime soon. For what it's worth… I'm sorry.'

Carly stopped and turned around, her eyes even harder. 'You honestly think you can just erase everything you did to me- _said_ to me- with those words. _Really_ , Kayla?'

Kayla lowered her eyes again, uncomfortable and abashed in the presence of the woman she wronged, but she had to make a sincere effort. 'I mean every word of them. Looking back, I've realised it was a terrible error in judgement on my part.'

'You went out of your way to get me fired and my license seized _after_ you and Caroline turned Daniel and Melanie against me. And _now_ you're sorry?' Carly asked, her voice low but icy-cold. 'How amazing that all it took to get your so-called apology was a beating.'

'No, no Carly, it's not like that.' Kayla protested. 'Please listen to me for a minute-'

'I'm not remotely interested in anything you have to say.' Carly swiftly interrupted. 'And _don't you dare_ excuse what you did because we both know you were out to get me from the moment you found out your brother and I were a couple, even if it meant destroying my career and reputation. And you achieved far more than you planned and for that, _to hell_ with your apology. You just _stay_ out of my way, the rest of your family included.'

Needing to get away from the woman who was once her friend, she turned away only to meet the eyes of her daughter, who was standing several yards away, staring at her.

'Mum…' Melanie whispered, slowly moving towards her mother in spite of Daniel's warning, arms outstretched.

For a moment, two pairs of green eyes locked; Melanie's beseeching, Carly's emotionless. Then abruptly, Carly walked past her, gripping her purse and staring straight ahead. Kayla watched, shocked and distressed beyond measure as tears filled Melanie's eyes, a hand pressed against her mouth as she stared after Carly. But not knowing how to console the young woman- who would only lash out at her anyway- Kayla crept away.

In the elevator taking her up to ICU, Carly brushed off the tear running down her cheek. Seeing her beautiful little girl after so long had sent her maternal heart racing, longing to hold her in her arms. Yet… that terrible scene at Maggie's house kept replaying in her mind.

 _Maggie's all the mother I need, not you._

Melanie calling her a liar.

Melanie accusing her of shielding Chloe and Phillip.

Melanie not standing by her when she really needed her.

It had torn her heart out, more than it was torn already.

For so long she allowed Melanie and Daniel blame and criticise her for giving her up and not telling Daniel he had a daughter. And she'd accepted blame because atoning for the lost years was more important to her. She had done all she could to show Melanie she loved her and wanted to forge a deep relationship. One foot wrong on her part and Melanie turned cold, but forgiving her afterwards. The scene at Parker's christening was the last straw, with her and Daniel wanting nothing to do with her. Neither of them were ready to listen, thinking only the worst of her.

 _I did nothing wrong,_ Carly reminded herself for the umpteenth time. She was always the one going out of her way to make amends, even though the best thing she could have done was let Melanie sulk it off and realise how childish and unreasonable she was being. How she hated having to walk on eggshells around her but having being deprived of her daughter for so many years, she had to do what was necessary. And Melanie was her comfort after her heartbreak…until that terrible scene at Parker's christening. Melanie later coming to see her after the attack-after the rejection and condemnation- had seemed like such a shallow and insincere gesture to her, hence why she'd asked her to leave, unable to bear her touch and presence. The worst kind of hurt came from the people one loved the most. And she wasn't ready to risk her heart.

The elevator doors slid open and she stepped out, wiping her eyes again with a hanky.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bo could still feel Carly's stinging slap on his cheek, the second time she'd ever hit him. As she turned away from him, Marcus placed his arms around her and led her away. She didn't look back. 'Leave her alone.' Adrienne had coldly advised him before following them.

Not that he actually expected their reunion to be a warm one but what really shook him was the expression in those beautiful eyes- the look of deep loathing.

Yes, he gave her more than enough reasons to, but it hurt terribly all the same. Carly never harboured such feelings towards him in the rough period of his life when he constantly rejected her, including the unforgivable thing he did to her at the cabin; confessing his love then harshly taking it back out of fear. Sad, heartbroken and resigned over his actions but Carly didn't hate him then. She never felt anything but love for him, both times they were together. Could she ever love him again after what happened between them?

She was bound to stay until Nicky recovered, and he had until then to thrash things out with her and warn her about the still unknown assailant. At all costs, he was going to protect her.

As he drove home, his cell phone rang. It was Melanie and she sounded very tearful. Bo barely managed to understand her as she narrated what happened between her and Carly. 'It was awful, Bo. She wouldn't even _talk_ to me.' Melanie sniffled. 'It's like a total stranger has taken Mum's place. She was _so_ cold.'

'I'm so sorry.'

'Dad already warned me but I thought if she saw me…' Melanie sniffled again, 'I thought when she saw me, everything would be okay with us.'

'Honey, calm down. Daniel's right, you've got to give her some space- at least for a little while. She's already upset about Nicky on top of everything else, it's best you don't crowd her.'

'You've already seen her?'

Bo grimaced. 'Yeah, and it didn't go well either. It's obviously not going to be easy for either of us. But I know this, eventually, she'll reach out to you because she's your mother and she loves you, no matter what happened. She came back here for Nicky, didn't she? Just give her time, okay?'

'Okay.' Melanie replied, with effort. 'It's just-'

'What?'

'All those times I was such a brat to her, she never treated me the way I deserved. It was a shock seeing her finally do that, even though I gave her reason to, you know what I mean?'

'I do. We all make mistakes Mel, but mistakes eventually get forgiven. And she _will_ forgive you and move on.'

'You think she'll be able to do the same with you?'

Bo hesitated. Forgiving an estranged child was not the same as forgiving a lover who betrayed her. 'I don't know. But I hope she'll be able to.'

'Fingers crossed then.'

'Same here.'

'Talk to you later.'

Bo hung up, unable to believe Carly's anger stretched that far, turning away from her own daughter. That was not the Carly Manning he knew, yet once again he reminded himself how she was pushed to her breaking point. And knowing he and Melanie were especially responsible for the cold, hardened woman Carly was now, added more to his misery and guilt.

Four memorable reunions vividly came to mind.

When Carly found him at Isabella's loft, in response to the note he'd sent. Ill as he was, he'd clung to her, asking for her forgiveness for all the lies and rejection. Carly had been more concerned about him saving his strength than rehashing what happened between them.

When he surprised her at Vivian's charity ball, after months of captivity; she'd flung her arms around him weeping, and he'd basked in the wonderful moment of being back with the woman he loved.

When he managed to stop her from leaving with Lawrence, Vivian and Nicky, as soon as he realised she wasn't protecting Lawrence but Nicky in the Lisanne Gardener case. Carly had hugged him tight, crying how she was so happy to be back in his arms again.

And years later, when he returned from California and found her waiting for him at home- the perfect homecoming. The time away from her had made him realise all the more how much he loved her.

And then everything got ruined.

And what was even worse, according to Celeste, Carly had seen him with Hope at the docks, saw and _heard_ everything.

How could he ever get her to forgive him?

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

After Melanie changed to her scrubs, Nicky's phone- which she kept in her locker with the other things Rafe returned to her- began to ring. Startled, she pulled it out and checked the caller ID.

 _E. Villiers._

Melanie pressed the 'answer' button. 'Hello.'

Pause and then a female voice replied, 'Pardon but who is this?'

Melanie's eyes widened at the French accent and it suddenly clicked.

 _E_. Villiers. Nicky's fiancée. _Oh no._

'Emma?'

'Yes. And you are?'

'My name's Melanie Layton. I'm Nicky's sister.'

'Oh!' the voice was now friendly. 'My pleasure. You appear to already know me.'

'Nick already told me all about you.'

' But you sound strange, Melanie. Is something wrong? Where's Nicholas?'

Melanie took a deep breath. 'Emma…. You've got to be brave. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this.' Gently, she told her what happened.

A gasp from Emma's end, before she asked, her voice now low as though trying to hold back tears. 'How is my beloved right now?'

'He's in a coma-'

' _Mon dieu_.' Emma whispered. 'The police… have they caught who did this?'

'They are still investigating.'

The sound of a sob then Emma's voice returned, now determined. 'I'm flying over there immediately, on the first available flight.'

'Sure, of course. I'll send my number to you right now, you call me the moment you land.'

'Yes. Thank you for telling me this. _Adieu_.'

'Bye.' Melanie hung up, feeling sorry for her. She would have called Emma herself after the shooting but in the middle of her upset over Nicky's condition, it slipped her mind and when she finally remembered, she saw that Nicky's phone was password protected. She had to applaud Emma for holding up well instead of breaking into hysterics, indicating she was a strong person. As Nicholas' future wife, maybe she could be a means of a reconciliation with Carly.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After sitting with Nicholas for an hour, Carly left the ICU in search for coffee at the cafeteria. The burly man behind the counter offered her a Danish and she thanked him, even though she didn't feel hungry. And not in the mood for small talk with the staff hanging about, she found a table at the corner. Which turned out to be a mistake on her part because she found herself lost in deep thought as she sipped the hot beverage, her mind going back to the past against her will.

 _'_ _This is the right spot.' She murmured, getting her breath back. Bo had made love to her over and over from the moment they came out of the water, his fiery, scorching passion engulfing her._

 _'_ _Yeah, it sure is,' he chuckled, running his fingers through her damp hair; a satisfied gleam in the piercing brown eyes._

 _Her hand moved over his hair covered chest, feeling the beating of his heart. 'I've never been this happy… in my whole life.'_

 _'_ _That makes two of us, princess.'_

 _'_ _Yeah. Do you know something, it's more than happiness.' She gazed at the blue sky then back to that beloved face. 'I feel weightless, you know. Like I've cast off this burden I've been carrying around all my life. I barely understand it, I barely knew it was there. I'm not making any sense.'_

 _'_ _Yes, you are.' Bo pressed a kiss against her lips. 'You're making plenty of sense. I think everybody feels that burden sometime during their life. It's called loneliness. But *you*,' another kiss, 'are never...' and another 'ever going feel that way again.'_

 _'_ _Not as long as I have you.'_

 _'_ _That's right. You have me… forever.' He claimed her lips again, as though sealing that promise._

 _'_ _I know' she whispered, feeling his passion rise again as he lowered her back on the blanket, wrapping her legs around his waist as his hard body covering hers._

'Carly?'

She looked up and immediately got up, strong arms enveloping her. 'Oh… it's so good to see you.' She said hugging him back.

Rafe Hernandez pulled back to look at her. 'Even more beautiful. I almost didn't recognise you with the haircut.'

Carly smiled self-consciously, running a hand through the short strands. 'I needed a change. Sit down, please.'

Rafe obeyed. 'I was up at ICU and the nurse said you might be here. How are you?'

'A little drained and trying to get over the fact my son was shot. Please tell me, any leads now?'

'Like I told you over the phone, no witnesses have come forward. But something struck me when I went over Nicholas's medical report.'

'Which was?'

'He was shot in the back with a semi-automatic, no defence wounds on his body. Which means, the shooter took Nicholas by surprise, he probably didn't even see his attacker.'

'Why would the attacker do that, shoot him from behind?'

'Probably he didn't want Nicholas to recognise him and identify him later, or he's simply a coward. He probably felt Nicholas wouldn't fight back since he was armed but still didn't want to take the chance. And yet…' Rafe frowned.

'What?'

'Why did the mugger take just his Rolex, when there was other stuff he could have stolen?'

'I'm as baffled as you are, Rafe. But I really hope you get to catch whoever did this to my son and make him pay.'

'He _will_ pay, Carly. We'll do our best. In the meantime, how are my godkids? Got any recent pics?

Bringing out her phone, Carly showed Rafe the ones taken during Christmas and New Year's Day, which he eagerly went through. She had sent him a birth announcement and one of the twins on their first birthday, after which only emails. 'They're beautiful, Carly. It's really an honour- you giving Ethan my name along with Frankie's.'

'Until Frankie, Marcus and Piper came for me - thanks to you-you and Adrienne were the only friends I had left. If you all hadn't shown up that day, I would have died, with my babies. I can never thank you enough. Once Nicky's better, I'm taking him back with me to recuperate and I want you to come with us, and finally meet the twins.'

'That would be so great, but only if I'm able to wrap the investigation by then.' They spent several minutes talking in general then Rafe glanced at his watch, and reluctantly rose. 'I have to head back.'

At the lobby, Carly kissed him on both cheeks and watched him leave before turning back to ICU. Turning on the ignition, Rafe scowled as he drove away. There was one thing he didn't tell her, a theory he shared with his partner, Alejandra. Nicholas being shot in the head… it hadn't been from behind. It glaringly insinuated that someone may have put a contract on him. If he was right, who the hell did? If Carly knew of his suspicion, she would accuse the first person who had the motive to harm her, Victor Kiriakis.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'Top you off?'

'Please.' Marcus held out his glass and Adrienne refilled it with Chardonnay, watching him at the same time. The handsome face was wearing a worried frown. 'A penny for your thoughts.'

'The person I'm thinking about is worth way more than that.'

The heartfelt tone in Marcus' voice raised Adrienne's eyesbrows, and interest. She sat down. 'I understand you being worried about her.'

'Understatement of the year. If I wasn't so concerned about getting Carly away from Bo, I would have finally given that bastard something to think about, something to make him realise you don't go about toying with a woman's emotions the way he did.'

Adrienne nodded. 'I get you. It's still so hard to believe Carly had to go through the worst sort of betrayal, from Bo of all people.'

'I need to ask you this, Adrienne and I want the truth.' Marcus sat up. 'When they were together, did you get the sense Bo was leading her on at any point?'

'I swear… I didn't. I admit I was shocked when I found out he was even with her- even if Hope did move out. They've had rough patches over the years they've been married, but they always got over them. And yeah, I was inclined to think Carly returned solely to get Bo back, _at first_. But then she told me about Melanie and what Lawrence did to her all that time, and I saw the way Bo was with her; it was like she never left. They looked _so_ happy, even I couldn't call it a rebound.'

Marcus's scowl deepened. 'You know what really makes me mad about all this? It's not enough he didn't have the decency to at least give her a few minutes of his precious time that day. Carly having to overhear what he said to Hope at the docks.'

'What did she hear?'

Marcus bitterly narrated what he and Frankie read in Carly's journal, Adrienne shook her head incredulously. 'He couldn't have said that… he couldn't have been that _cruel_.'

'Oh, your cousin- in -law said it loud and clear, not to mention how he never wanted to be without Hope again.'

'My God! Carly _never_ told me this.'

'She was humiliated enough already. You honestly think you could stand the pity if _you_ were in her shoes?'

Adrienne sank back in her seat. Losing Bo had devastated Carly but that conversation coupled with Bo getting back with Hope immediately they broke up, had robbed Carly the one precious thing she probably held on to, the belief that Bo still loved her. Letting him go was her doing the right thing, but for Bo, it was the chance of getting back with his wife. 'Oh, that poor thing… on top of everything else. Then he _did_ lead her on!'

'I swear I wanted to kill him when I saw him standing there.' Marcus growled. 'And I'm going to make sure he doesn't get the chance of going anywhere near Carly again. I'm capable of giving her what he couldn't.'

Adrienne watched Marcus carefully as he took a sip from his glass, remembering his solicitous attitude with Carly from the moment they landed. 'Are you in love with Carly?'

Marcus said nothing at first. Then he sighed deeply. 'I don't know. Once I got to know her when we were first met years ago, Carly was like a sister to me and a kindred spirit. We reconnected while she was recovering in D.C, she confided in me like she used to. While we were in Chicago, she had a little meltdown and… I suddenly felt a deeper closeness to her. I can't put a finger to it yet but what I do know is that I always want to be around to protect Carly and the twins, you know I love them like they're mine. I feel I can be with her, for always.'

'Of course you love the twins, you _delivered_ them and they are Carly's children. But I don't think you should spring this on Carly right now.'

'Why not?' Marcus demanded sharply. 'You don't approve?'

'Don't get the wrong idea. Ethan and Evangeline would be lucky to have you as their stepfather and if anyone can make Carly happy after the hell she went through, it's you. You and Carly have always been close, and Steve and I thought you two would make a great couple when she first came to Salem, remember? If you really want to be with her, great. But I want you to be with her for the right reasons, _not_ because you want to keep Bo away from her.'

'I would never hurt her for anything.'

'I know, you love her. But you don't know if you are _in_ love with her.' Adrienne pointed out gently. 'Even if you are, you have to be sure Carly feel the same way about you. A one-sided relationship leads to heartbreak, you saw what happened with her and Bo. She's really vulnerable right now, if you so much as give her a clue- she might feel she owes you something for taking care of her. Then when it fizzles out, you two could end up never being friends again.'

Marcus knew Adrienne was right. 'And I definitely don't want that, I don't ever want to lose her.'

'And I'm sure she doesn't ever want to lose you. I'm not saying you shouldn't explore your feelings though. When you finally realise what they are, then fight for Carly and slowly make her notice you.' Adrienne smiled. 'It just might end up being a happy ending for you two.'

Marcus smiled back, albeit faintly. 'Fingers crossed then.'

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Giving Carly time to cool off was way easier said than done. Nicholas could regain consciousness any time soon and before he knew it, Carly would be gone again. Bo remembered just how stubborn she was, she would do all she could to avoid him. However, he wasn't going to let his guilt overwhelm him, she would have to talk to him sometime whether she liked it or not. When she was still married to Victor- a marriage that should never have happened in the first place- they weren't able to stay away from each other, no matter what they did, under the pretence of just being 'friends'. But after dreaming of her almost every night and a pep talk from Pop, he attempted to make her realise how much he wanted her... for keeps.

 _'Hold it, hold it... don't go away.' He urged as Carly turned to leave._

 _'There's really no reason for me to stay here.' she replied stiffly, displeasure all over her face._

 _'if there's nothing between us, there's no reason to go either.' He was going to have his say, how he'd made a huge mistake letting her marry Victor. He must have been crazy, keeping silent during the ceremony. Tonight, he was going to tell her to come away with him._

 _'I just don't want to take the chance of Victor seeing us and misunderstanding, I don't want to spoil tonight for him.'_

 _'One dance, that's all I ask. Even Victor wouldn't refuse me that. Would you?'_

 _Carly stared at him._

 _You're not afraid, are you?' he cajoled, knowing full well she would rise to his barely veiled challenge. And sure enough, she walked past him to stand near the fountain, a vision in her red and gold trimmed outfit, hair pulled back in an elegant hairdo. How could he have ever rejected her?_

 _He walked to her, and- eyes lowered- Carly slipped hers into his when he held it out to her; her fingers warm under his touch. God... he wanted to kiss that sensual rosebud mouth. Being near her like this only made his regret over his past behaviour towards her grow._

 _'See? We can do this. There's nothing between us, nothing at all.' He managed to say as he slipped his arm around her waist._

 _In silence, they danced to Chris Issak's seductive 'Wicked Games.' He held her against him inhaling her scent, wishing she would relax. To his dismay, she moved away._

 _'I thought you weren't afraid.'_

 _'I'm not.'_

 _'Then why are you pulling away?'_

 _'I don't know what you want me to do, what you want me to say.'_

 _'We don't need words.' Breaking his resolve to tell her he loved her first, he ran his fingers across her cheek then pulled her back to him. Holding her face, he captured her lips with his, savouring the sweet taste of her._

Bo shook his head, focusing more on his driving as he finally got to his street. When he let himself into the house, Ciara was just coming down the stairs. 'Hi Daddy.' She said.

He leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. 'How was school, munchkin?'

Ciara, now 12, shrugged. 'Same ol' same 'ol.'

'Where's your Mum?'

'She's upstairs, in the shower.'

Somehow Bo managed not to flinch at the word _shower_. 'Alright then.' Slipping off his jacket, he went to the kitchen and raided the fridge for bottled water.

'Daddy?'

He turned to see that Ciara had followed him, and had a worried frown on her face. 'Yes, sweetheart?'

'Do you know Dr Manning's back in town?'

'How do you know?'

'I saw her having coffee at _The Java_ \- with Aunt Adrienne and a guy- through the window. Did you know she's back?'

'I figured she would be.' Bo replied, dodging her question.

'Why?'

Putting the plastic bottle down, he placed his hands on Ciara's shoulders. 'She's here because of her son. The day we went to the lake, she told you she had a son, remember?' At Ciara's nod, he continued, 'His name's Nicky. And he's in the hospital right now because a mugger shot him a few nights ago.'

Ciara gasped in horror. 'Oh no! Is he going to be okay?'

'His doctors are sure he'll pull through. And obviously, Carly came down here to be with him, like any mum would. You understand now?'

Ciara nodded again. 'Have you arrested the mugger?'

'Not yet, we're still looking for him. And we're going to find him. And listen to me, if you ever run into Carly, I want you to show her some kindness by telling her how sorry you are about Nicky. And don't listen to any nasty gossip about her either, because none of it is true. Promise me you're going to do this.'

'I promise.' Fear had gripped the young girl on seeing the woman who came between her parents years ago again, nursing a nasty feeling she came back to get back at her Dad for going back to her Mum. But hearing this info about Carly's son aroused her pity. 'I... I hope Nicky gets better soon.'

'He will. Maybe you might even get to meet him after he leaves the hospital. He and Shawn D were friends when they were little boys, you know.'

Ciara was now confused. 'Did you date Dr Manning back then?'

'I was wondering where you were hiding.' Hope entered the kitchen, stopping short on seeing Bo. 'Oh hi.'

'Hi, Fancy face.'

Ciara was quick to see that her father made no effort to kiss her mother and she was scared again.


End file.
